![A Ex-UFC champion thinks Dricus du Plessis (left) should first fight Khamzat Chimaev (middle) to earn a fight with Alex Pereira (right). [Image courtesy: Getty Images]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/d243a-17389235791819-1920.jpg)
![A Ex-UFC champion thinks Dricus du Plessis (left) should first fight Khamzat Chimaev (middle) to earn a fight with Alex Pereira (right). [Image courtesy: Getty Images]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns%3Axlink='http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20viewBox='0%200%2010%205.625'%3E%3Cfilter%20id='b'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20stdDeviation='.5'%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20type='discrete'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20tableValues='1%201'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20filter='url(%23b)'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
An ex-UFC champion has revealed what reigning middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis should do to earn a shot at double-champ status and a fight with light heavyweight king Alex Pereira.
'Stillknocks' will lock horns with Sean Strickland in a rematch this weekend at UFC 312. Pereira will be in the American’s corner, and ahead of the pay-per-view, Strickland has revealed that 'Poatan' despises the UFC middleweight champion for unknown reasons.
In an interview with Submission Radio, UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping discussed a potential bout between Pereira and du Plessis:
“I think Dricus on the feet would obviously lose to Pereira but we have seen Dricus take down most people that he fights, and we have seen that Pereira doesn’t necessarily have the best wrestling."
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Bisping then explained how Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov are also in the title mix at middleweight, so du Plessis has challenges ahead before moving up to the light heavyweight division.
"So I don't know. I’m not saying Dricus beats him… Dricus has work to do at 185 [pounds]. Obviously, we have got Khamzat Chimaev, after that we have got Imavov… There is a whole new generation of fighters coming through."
Check out Michael Bisping's comments about Dricusdu Plessis below (10:36):
Dricus du Plessis doesn't believe Alex Pereira hates him
Ahead of the rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland, the challenger revealed that Alex Pereira hates the middleweight champion, and the reasons behind the alleged hatred are unknown to 'Tarzan'. However, du Plessis doesn’t believe Strickland’s claims about 'Poatan' hating him.
In an interview with AgFight, 'Stillknocks' revealed that he has never spoken to Pereira. He did ask 'Poatan' for a picture once, which he claims was their sole interaction, but he doesn't think there's any real animosity:
"I don’t think he hates me. If he does, I don’t know why. Sometimes you see a person and you just don’t like them, maybe that’s it. Maybe he doesn’t like my face, or my attitude, I don’t know. But I don’t think he hates me. But if he does, I have no idea." [H/t AgFight]
