Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has weighed in on Alex Pereira’s recent hint that he might drop back to the middleweight division. Strickland’s comments came after UFC 305, where Dricus du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya.
Strickland is positioned as the likely next contender for du Plessis’ title after UFC 305. In that event, du Plessis battled through a tough first three rounds before securing a submission victory over Adesanya with a rear-naked choke.
Strickland, who lost his title to du Plessis at UFC 297, seems poised for a rematch following his win at UFC 302, where he narrowly defeated former title challenger Paulo Costa by split decision.
The UFC middleweight landscape has another intriguing aspect with Pereira, the current light heavyweight champion. Pereira had previously split two title fights with Adesanya and made history as the fastest fighter to capture multiple championships in UFC history before moving up to light heavyweight.
Recently, Pereira hinted at a possible return to middleweight on social media after watching du Plessis’ performance at UFC 305. However, Strickland isn’t convinced Pereira is serious about a comeback to the lighter division.
UFC Star Sean Strickland Weighs in on Alex Pereira Potential Middleweight Return
In a recent chat with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Strickland shared his skepticism about Pereira’s potential move back to middleweight. “His big a** ain’t going back down to 185 dude,” Strickland said, expressing doubt about Pereira’s return to the division.
Strickland, who has experience moving up and down weight classes, believes that once fighters adjust to a new weight class, dropping back down can be extremely challenging. “As a welterweight that moved up to 185, once you get used to that weight class, the thought of going back down sounds miserable,” he explained. Strickland thinks Pereira would fare better fighting du Plessis at light heavyweight rather than making a tough cut back to middleweight. “I think Alex should fight Dricus du Plessis at 205 any day of the week. Any day of the week, he sits at 205, 100 percent…”
Strickland recounted seeing Pereira before his last middleweight fight, noting how difficult it looked for Pereira to make weight. “I remember seeing Alex for his last fight at middleweight in the back room, and he looked like death… I went to say hi to him; he looked like death. To the point where I’m like ‘Man, this ain’t good for you dude, go up’. 205 he’d do in a heartbeat, but 185 I can’t see him doing that, luckily for us.”
Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis Next
As for what’s next, a potential rematch between du Plessis and Strickland could take place by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Pereira is scheduled to defend his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307.
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