"Does he fight the winner of Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev?" - Jon Anik predicts Alex Pereira's MMA future following UFC 313 loss

UFC commentator Jon Anik has mapped out Alex Pereira’s potential UFC future after his recent title loss and assessed if 'Poatan' could face UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis.

At UFC 313, 'Poatan' was dethroned by top contender Magomed Ankalaev by unanimous decision.

Heading into this championship bout, there were worries about the Brazilian’s off camp distractions and how Ankalaev, because of his well-roundedness, was the toughest opponent to date for 'Poatan'.

Although Pereira managed to avoid takedowns, he compromised on his striking during the bout, which cost him the contest.

Talks of an immediate rematch are ongoing and have been seconded by UFC CEO Dana White and both the fighters.

Anik, in a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, first stated that 'Poatan’s' recent loss demands an immediate rematch. With that, a potential bout with middleweight kingpin Dricus du Plessis looks to be off the charts for now.

However, if Pereira had won at UFC 313, with no more contenders to face at light heavyweight, the Brazilian could have locked horns with 'Stillknocks'.

Du Plessis called out 'Poatan' at UFC 312 after beating Sean Strickland in a rematch. With that in mind, Anik thinks if the former UFC kingpin was not dethroned at UFC 313, he could have fought the middleweight champion.

'Stillknocks' is expected to defend his strap against unbeaten contender Khamzat Chmiaev later this year.

The American commentator, who wants an immediate rematch for now before any other possibility for 'Poatan', had this to say:

"Does he fight the winner of Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev? So he is still the man, he is still going to be big fight chasing, but I think the immediate rematch is the thing that we all need to see right now."

Check out Jon Anik's comments about Alex Pereira below (5:12):

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Alex Pereira had a condition to fight Dricus du Plessis

At UFC 312, Dricus du Plessis beat Sean Strickland via unanimous decision. Alex Pereira was cornering Strickland for the fight. In the post-fight octagon interview, the South African champ called out 'Poatan'.

In an interview with New York Post Sports, Pereira said that he wants to fight Du Plessis at light heavyweight as has no plans to move back to middleweight again:

About that, he said:

'It would definitely be a 205 pounds. I've said it before, I don't want to cut down to 185 pounds anymore. It's just too complicated for the weight cut.''

Check out Alex Pereira's comment about a potential bout with Dricus du Plessis below (4:04):