Dricus du Plessis confident he can beat Alex Pereira at 205 pounds but says Khamzat Chimaev is definitely next: "He deserves a hiding"

Following his UFC 312 victory, Dricus du Plessis addressed potential fights against both Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev. The reigning UFC middleweight kingpin particularly warned Chimaev.

Du Plessis beat Sean Strickland in their rematch at UFC 312 (Feb. 8, 2025; Feb. 9, 2025, local time in Australia), defending his title via unanimous decision. During his post-fight octagon interview, du Plessis advanced in the direction of Strickland's cornerman, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, and called him out.

Pereira, who primarily communicates in the Brazilian-Portuguese language, later asserted that he met Dricus du Plessis backstage and clarified whether he'd challenged him. Apparently, they agreed to eventually fight at light heavyweight.

At the UFC 312 post-fight press conference, Dricus du Plessis confirmed the backstage interaction. He implied that his call-out was inspired by the Hollywood movie, 'Troy' -- wherein 'Achilles,' portrayed by Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt, dominantly defeats an adversary and challenges others.

Having long feuded with Pereira, du Plessis jested that his call-out ended up as anticlimactic. However, he indicated that he's confident about defeating Pereira at light heavyweight:

"I have the most respect for him what he's done in the short period of time in the UFC; to come from another sport [kickboxing], what he's done there. But yes, I want to share the octagon with that man. I want to be a guy -- I've beaten [Israel] Adesanya, who's beaten him. I know I can beat him [Pereira] and at 205 [pounds], one hundred percent."

Moreover, du Plessis explained that he doesn't have anything personal against Magomed Ankalaev but would like to see Alex Pereira beat Ankalaev at UFC 313 (March 8, 2025), as he wants to fight and beat the legendary Pereira. Nevertheless, du Plessis emphasized that he'd fight Chimaev before that. Calling out 'Borz,' he stated:

"No. Khamzat's first. Khamzat's first. I wish him [Pereira] -- I said, 'Please beat [Magomed] Ankalaev.' No hate against Ankalaev. I just want to beat Alex Pereira. It's nothing personal against Ankalaev. It was just Pereira, he's such a legend in the sport, to me already, that it would be amazing to beat him for my legacy. I want to be the greatest to ever do this. But Khamzat's next. Khamzat is next."

Vowing to surpass middleweight greats like Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya's legacies at 185 pounds, he noted that he wouldn't rush a move to light heavyweight against Pereira:

"So I'm not rushing that, 'My next fight is Alex Pereira.' No, no, no. I want that Khamzat next. I think he deserves a hiding."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' assessment below (3:44 and 4:34):

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Dricus du Plessis' jibe at Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 312

The undefeated Khamzat Chimaev, who many view as the rightful next challenger for Dricus du Plessis' UFC middleweight championship, took to X and tweeted an image of himself from a past UFC press conference. 'Borz' seemingly signaled that he's coming for du Plessis.

During his post-fight press conference, Dricus du Plessis indicated that he'd seen Chimaev's social media posts after UFC 312. He jestingly suggested that Chimaev's tweets generally don't make sense. Furthermore, akin to how he'd previously jabbed at Chimaev over his past health issues, du Plessis advised him to "stay out of the cold."