Alex Pereira shares his pick for Robert Whittaker vs Dricus du Plessis

Alex Pereira predicted Robert Whittaker will easily beat Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290.

Earlier this week, Dana White announced a handful of upcoming fights for UFC 289, UFC 290, and several Fight Night cards. Among the bouts revealed was a middleweight matchup between Whittaker and Du Plessis, which goes down on July 8 during International Fight Week. Pereira, a former UFC middleweight champion, had this to say on Twitter about the 185-pound clash:

“Easy money for @robwhittakermma !!!”

‘The Reaper’ last fought in September 2022, defeating Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision. Since losing against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson in 2014, Whittaker’s only two defeats have come against reigning 185-pound king Israel Adesanya. With a win against Du Plessis, he can secure another opportunity to take out ‘The Last Stylebender.’

Du Plessis has exceeded expectations since his UFC debut in October 2020. The South African-born fighter holds a promotional record of 5-0, with four wins inside the distance. ‘Stillknocks’ is coming off an impressive win in March, where he took out Derek Brunson in a back-and-forth war.

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What’s at stake between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis?

Alex Pereira announced he would be moving up to the light heavyweight division after losing against Israel Adesanya. As a result, there were questions about who would be the next 185-pound title challenger. While announcing the matchup between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis, Dana White had this to say about what’s at stake:

“On Saturday, July 8th, at UFC 290, we have a middleweight title eliminator. Former champion Robert Whittaker, whose only loss in the last nine years are to the champ Israel Adesanya. He will be taking on Dricus Du Plessis. Du Plessis has won seven straight fights and finished six of them. The winner of that fight will fight Adesanya later this year and that fight is targeted for Sydney, Australia.”

Whittaker and Du Plessis both have something to prove at UFC 290. ‘Stillknocks’ has continued to be underrated, with some people believing he’s not ready for a title fight. Meanwhile, ‘The Reaper’ has lost against Adesanya twice. Although the former middleweight champion is one of the best fighters on the planet, he must make a statement during International Fight Week to justify the third bout.

Watch Dana White announce Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis below: