Alex Pereira, the reigning light heavyweight champion, is gearing up for his next big test at UFC 313, where he will defend his title against Magomed Ankalaev.
Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo recently weighed in on a potential matchup between Du Plessis and Pereira during his Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry podcast. His comments stemmed from a post-fight exchange between Daniel Cormier and 'Poatan', where Cormier floated Du Plessis as a possible challenger. 'Poatan' quickly dismissed the idea, claiming Du Plessis was too small to be a real threat.
However, 'Triple C' pushed back on that notion, arguing that Du Plessis has the skill set and style to expose key weaknesses in Poatan’s game—particularly in the grappling department, where the Brazilian has shown vulnerabilities in past fights:
"You can be big all you want, but when you have two daggers and two knives, trust me, dude, size doesn’t matter. If size mattered... then the giraffe would be the king of the jungle. But that’s not how it is, you know what I’m saying?"
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Cejudo further added, saying:
"But I will say this—stylistically, if I had to choose somebody who has a better opportunity of becoming champ-champ, a guy going up and defeating a champion, I’ve got to go with DDP. I think DDP is going to bring it. And it's not even so much about DDP himself, but stylistically against a guy like Alex Pereira, I feel like there are some deficiencies there when it comes to the grappling side.We saw that with Israel Adesanya—when Izzy was able to take him down. I feel like DDP is going to expose that."
Check out Henry Cejudo's comments in the video below:(25:36)
Stipe Miocic backs Alex Pereira’s move to heavyweight
Stipe Miocic, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in UFC history, was last seen inside the Octagon in his highly anticipated clash with Jon Jones. The epic showdown ended with Jones securing a dominant victory, leading to Miocic’s retirement from the sport. Now, as the division moves forward, new contenders are emerging, and one name generating serious buzz is Alex Pereira.
Recently, Miocic spoke with Helen Yee, where he was asked about 'Poatan' potentially making the jump to heavyweight. The former champion responded positively, acknowledging Pereira’s power, striking ability, and overall skill set as assets that could make him a real threat in the division:
"I think he’ll do well. You know, he's a big, strong guy. He hits and kicks hard. I think he'll do well."
Check out Stipe Miocic's comments below: (9:55)