While White didn’t commit to booking a Pereira vs. Du Plessis fight, he appreciates that ‘Poatan’ is always giving UFC matchmakers more options.
Alex Pereira has a lot of options ahead of him when it comes to big fights, but according to “Poatan” the only fight that interests him next is middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.
Well, ‘next’ meaning after his light heavyweight title defense against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Pereira doesn’t seem all that excited about that fight, or a fight with No. 1 light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev. But he’s been stumping for a Du Plessis fight since “DDP” submitted Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 305.
So what’s UFC CEO Dana White’s take on the situation, given you don’t get to do anything in the promotion without his okay?
“My take on him is he’s f—ing nasty. That’s my take on him,” White said after Tuesday’s Contender Series event. “He wants to move up. He wants to move down. He wants to go everywhere, that’s why people love him. Those are the type of fighters that people love. He wants to fight everybody. I love it.”
White didn’t say he and the matchmakers were signing on to Pereira’s plan to drop back down to middleweight. But he appreciates the spunk of his light heavyweight champion.
“It also gives us a ton of options as we’re in matchmaking,” White said. “Should we do this? Should we do that? Shouldn’t we do this? Shouldn’t we do that? I don’t know. It’s a good problem to have with a guy like him.”
With Sean Strickland being so demanding these days and suggesting he wouldn’t fight Du Plessis in South Africa, the window is open for Pereira to climb through and snatch up a middleweight title shot.
And in addition to middleweight and light heavyweight possibilities, there’s also heavyweight possibilities. UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has suggested that he might like a fight with Alex Pereira if he beats Stipe Miocic in November. Would he be as eager to fight Tom Aspinall instead if “Bones” retires? That’s something that remains to be seen.