When Joe Rogan, who doesn't go overseas for UFC PPVs, admitted he'd "fly to the moon" to commentate if Dricus du Plessis moves up to face Alex Pereira

Joe Rogan once heaped praise on Dricus du Plessis amid speculation of the latter's potential move to light heavyweight for a fight against Alex Pereira. Rogan, who primarily commentates at UFC pay-per-views (PPVs) in the U.S. and doesn't do so for fight cards overseas -- even suggested that he'd travel anywhere to commentate a du Plessis-Pereira fight.

Reigning UFC middleweight champion du Plessis notched his first title defense by submitting former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Their clash transpired at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 18, 2024 (local time in Australia).

Rogan hosted a watch party, a Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) Fight Companion episode, with his friends to enjoy the UFC 305 fights live while watching from America. He was accompanied by ex-UFC heavyweight and fellow comedian Brendan Schaub as well as fellow comedians Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Simpson.

After Dricus du Plessis' fourth-round submission win over Israel Adesanya, Brendan Schaub speculated whether Adesanya should move up in weight and fight UFC light heavyweight (205-pound) champion Alex Pereira.

Their rivalry has comprised four professional combat sports encounters overall. Pereira beat Adesanya twice in kickboxing and once in MMA, and 'Izzy' defeated him once in MMA.

Joe Rogan seemingly disagreed with Schaub's suggestion. The podcast mogul indicated that Adesanya shouldn't fight Pereira at light heavyweight because 'Poatan' is better suited to that division and facing him there wouldn't be advisable for 'Izzy.' That said, Rogan opined that he'd love to see du Plessis move up and fight Pereira at light heavyweight:

"No ... Alex [Pereira] at 205 is what he's supposed to weigh. At 185, he was starved; starved and dehydrated, and still f**king people up. He's a different thing. Alex is a different thing. If Dricus goes up to 205 and fights Alex, oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. I'll fly to the moon to commentate that fight. I want to see that fight. That's crazy."

After Dricus du Plessis' win over Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira hinted that he'd like to return to middleweight and take the 185-pound championship from du Plessis. Nevertheless, the latter asserted that he'd rather head to 205 pounds and beat Pereira to win the light heavyweight championship.

Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (2:53:16):

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Joe Rogan on potential Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight

Dricus du Plessis defends his middleweight belt in a rematch against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 on Feb. 8, 2025. Meanwhile, Alex Pereira defends his light heavyweight belt against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 on March 8, 2025. Many foresee the du Plessis-Strickland winner possibly defending the middleweight belt against the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev next.

On episode #2220 of his JRE podcast, in October 2024, Joe Rogan notably implied that Dricus du Plessis could face a mountainous challenge against Khamzat Chimaev. Rogan alluded that although du Plessis is an excellent fighter with great grappling, 'Borz' boasts seemingly unparalleled grappling that could prove to be the champion's undoing:

"He [Dricus du Plessis] can wrestle. He's got very good Jiu-Jitsu. He hits f**kin hard, and he's a big, durable dude. But I don't know if he's going to be able to wrestle with that guy [Khamzat Chimaev]."

Watch Joe Rogan's assessment below (3:14:15):