Dricus du Plessis' teammate, who trained in Dagestan, gives honest opinion on Sean Strickland fight and 'Stillknocks' potentially facing Alex Pereira

Dricus du Plessis is coming off his second win over Sean Strickland, after which he called out Alex Pereira to his face inside the octagon. One of du Plessis' primary training partners has weighed in on the middleweight champion's success and future.

In a recent episode of Bowks Talking Bouts, South African MMA fighter Mark Hulme discussed multiple topics leading into his clash with Andreas Michailidis at Oktagon 67 on Feb. 22. When asked for his thoughts on du Plessis' performance at UFC 312 in retaining his middleweight belt against Strickland, Hulme said:

"Best performance of his life, bro. He's a phenomenal athlete and it's amazing for me that he has reached the heights that he has reached and that he's still in the gym on the daily grinding... Learning and making changes to his own game and positively progressing forward. Not just being stagnant and thinking he's the best. But actually coming to the gym and proving his worth everyday."

As he prepares for a middleweight matchup against someone who previously fought Pereira in the UFC, it's not lost on the former EFC welterweight champion that he gets to train with the best in the world at 185 pounds as he continues to navigate his own continued transition to the weight class. While addressing these dynamics, Hulme stated:

"It gives me all the confidence in the world. I mean he's a savage. Like I said, I've trained in Dagestan. I haven't really met anyone of his physical stature if I can say it like that. I'm excited for what's still to come."

Previewing a potential Pereira vs. du Plessis bout, the Team CIT representative said:

"I don't think you guys have even seen the best out of him. You've seen his best performance to date. But there's still a lot more that he can bring to the table."

Check out Mark Hulme's comments below (23:30):

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Dricus du Plessis looks to solidify legacy at middleweight before moving to light heavyweight

Dricus du Plessis is only 31 years old and seems to have many options ahead of him, seemingly across multiple divisions.

With the likes of Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov in title contention, there's no shortage of challengers for the South African champion. However, du Plessis also has indicated his desire to take on current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who he called out after beating Sean Strickland.

At the UFC 312 post-fight presser, he clarified that he wants his legacy at 185 pounds to be undeniable before moving up to the 205-pound bracket.