UFC veteran calls for Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus du Plessis to be canceled - "It's not too late"

UFC veteran Chael Sonnen does not like the idea of Dricus du Plessis facing Robert Whittaker in a middleweight title eliminator and recently called for the fight to be canceled.

UFC president Dana White recently confirmed the matchup for UFC 290 on July 8, with the winner expected to challenge middleweight champion Israel Adesanya for the title sometime later this year at an event targeted at Sydney, Australia.

While many eagerly look forward to the contest, Sonnen disagrees and recently stated that the promotion still has time to cancel the bout in favor of a Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya matchup.

'The American Gangster' referenced the rivalry between the South African and Nigerian-born Kiwi after du Plessis' "real African" comments. In a recent YouTube video, Sonnen said:

"We shouldn't have made du Plessis vs. Whittaker... We should've made du Plessis vs. Adesanya... Izzy says, 'I'm not going to fight anybody till I fight him.' Izzy doesn't care if he doesn't beat Whittaker... Matter of fact, Izzy predicts Whittaker is going to beat du Plessis. Izzy doesn't care if he's coming off a loss... He's going to fight him next."

Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below (7:00):

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Alex Pereira gives prediction for Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus du Plessis title eliminator

Alex Pereira is backing Robert Whittaker to make easy work of Dricus du Plessis when they face each other at UFC 290.

'Poatan' recently announced that he will be moving up to light heavyweight after his short run as middleweight champion ended at UFC 287. Pereira was knocked out in the second round by longtime combat sports rival Israel Adesanya to lose his first title defense.

Pereira recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming middleweight title eliminator between Dricus du Plessis and Robert Whittaker. Predicting 'The Reaper' to come out on top, 'Poatan' tweeted:

"Easy money for @robwhittakermma !!!"

Robert Whittaker is widely considered the second-best middleweight fighter in the world, only behind Israel Adesanya. The former champion's only losses at middleweight have come at the hands of 'The Last Stylebender'. He last dominated Marvin Vettori to earn a decision win at UFC Paris.

Meanwhile, Dricus du Plessis is easily among the fastest-rising middleweight contenders and is an exciting prospect to look out for. 'Stillknocks' is undefeated in the promotion with a 5-0 record, comprising four finishes. If he beats Whittaker, the South African will likely fight Adesanya in Sydney later this year.