“This man is the avenger” - Alex Pereira stokes passions by teasing re-entry into middleweight after Sean Strickland’s split decision loss at UFC 297

In the aftermath of UFC 297, Alex Pereira is teasing a potential return to middleweight.

With Dricus du Plessis winning the belt this past weekend, Pereira has expressed interest in returning to the division he once reigned over with his friend and training partner, Sean Strickland, no longer holding the belt. Pereira surprised everybody on fight day with the late announcement of his presence in Strickland's corner for his title defense.

Just one day after du Plessis' monumental victory, Pereira posted a graphic on Instagram with the caption:

"Maybe one last rodeo at middleweight?"

The newly crowned South African champion did briefly call out the light heavyweight champion following his win, though noting that it would not likely happen. 'Stillknocks' also addressed a question about Pereira at the UFC 297 press conference, saying he would be interested in the matchup.

Pereira and du Plessis did not engage in any conversation, though the former was the UFC middleweight champion just one year ago.

Reacting to the post from 'Poatan,' fans made jokes connecting the Brazilian to The Avengers movie franchise.

Fan reacting to Alex Pereira's Instagram post [via @alexpoatanpereira on Instagram]

Fans jokingly called Pereira "the Avenger" due to his apparent tendency to face fighters who have dethroned his friends. Pereira knocked out Jiri Prochazka to win the light heavyweight belt, who submitted his close friend and head coach Glover Teixeira in 2022.

Some fans also joked that Pereira only wanted to fight du Plessis in order to prevent Israel Adesanya from getting another championship opportunity.

Other fans commented:

"Real life Thanos"

"Poatan is the only one who can save us"

"Nah defend first"

"Alex 'The Avenger' Pereira"

"He doesn't f*** around when his friends lose lol"

View more fan reactions to Alex Pereira's Instagram post below:

Reactions to Alex Pereira's recent Instagram post [via @alexpoatanpereira on Instagram]

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Is Alex Pereira going to fight at UFC 300?

As one of the most exciting and well-liked fighters on the UFC roster, many have wondered if Alex Pereira would be the champion to headline UFC 300 in April.

Following UFC 297, Dana White told reporters in his post-fight interview that he would be announcing the main event of the coveted fight card very soon.

With many also speculating about Israel Adesanya's potential return on the card, nothing has been confirmed yet on the UFC 300 main event.