"I've seen him looking very, very sh*t on his back foot" - Dricus du Plessis' coach shares interesting observations from Alex Pereira's UFC 307 win

Dricus du Plessis' coach believes they can defeat Alex Pereira in the stand-up without having to fall back on his wrestling prowess. The rivalry between Pereira and du Plessis flared up when 'Poatan' expressed the desire to fight the South African fighter after the latter's UFC 305 win over Israel Adesanya. The pair have been going back and forth on social media ever since.

While Pereira is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the sport, du Plessis's coach Morne Visser sees some glaring holes that they can exploit. In a recent interview with Submission Radio following Pereira's UFC 307 win over Khalil Rountree Jr., Visser said that he does not fight well when forced to retreat.

The Team CIT MMA coach predicted that du Plessis would take control and pressure Pereira into fighting on the back foot if they met inside the octagon:

"I've seen him on his back foot where he is really, really sh**. This game, Dricus has been working forever. There is no way you can fix becoming a wrestler, or a grappler or a stand-up fighter within six months for real. He's been a big unit coming forward forever. That's where you've got to stop him - Coming forward. I've seen him looking very, very sh** on his back foot."

Check out Morne Visser's comments below:

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Morne Visser claims that Dricus du Plessis will be a "different animal" at light heavyweight

Dricus du Plessis is seemingly one of the most physical athletes in the middleweight division. While Alex Pereira has expressed the desire to go to middleweight and fight the South African fighter, Morne Visser claimed that du Plessis would be more dangerous if he moved up to light heavyweight.

Speaking in the aforementioned interview with Submission Radio, Visser said:

"We obviously do quite a good cut. All the guys in the division, who Dricus handled, complained about his power and how physical and strong he is. He's actually a genuine light heavyweight."

He added:

"We work hard to keep his weight down and we work very hard on his diet and we obviously do a decent cut. So it's not easy and Dricus will have fun (going up to light heavyweight). I promise you he will be a different animal at light heavyweight."

Check out Morne Visser's comments below (22:27):

Du Plessis does not have a clear contender for his second middleweight title defense. While Sean Strickland has campaigned for a rematch since losing the title to 'Stillknocks' at UFC 297, the winner of the upcoming Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight could also stake their claim for the title shot.