The coach of UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis likes the idea of his man facing Alex Pereira, but not as "Poatan" has proposed.
Du Plessis maintained his grip on the 185-pound crown at this past weekend's UFC 305 pay-per-view in Perth, Australia, adding a first successful defense to his resume at the expense of former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya.
Their entertaining main event and the South African's feat of becoming the first to submit "The Last Stylebender" remains a hot topic, but talk is also already turning to what could lie next for him.
Judging by Dana White's recent remarks, that would appear likely to be a rematch with Sean Strickland, the man from whom Du Plessis captured the middleweight gold this past January. But one other notable name recently put his name into the mix.
Reigning light heavyweight and former middleweight kingpin Alex Pereira was on hand with his post-UFC 305 reaction, teasing a returning to the 185-pound division to do battle with "Stillknocks."
That callout got a positive response from Du Plessis' coach. Well, sort of...
Du Plessis' Coach Accepts Pereira Fight — On One Condition
During a backstage interview with Submission Radio at the RAC Arena, Du Plessis' coach Morne Visser reflected on his man's triumph Down Under and looked ahead to what could be next.
In terms of Pereira's social media post, the Team CIT head trainer green lit a clash between Du Plessis and "Poatan," but only if it sees the South African receive an opportunity at achieving two-weight glory.
No, I won’t give him (Pereira) the joy to go down to 185; we’ll just go up," Visser said. "He (Du Plessis) doesn’t want to beat him (at middleweight because) he’ll say that (they've) gone down, he was fatigued, and whatever. So no, we’ll go up.
I’m sure that the UFC will be okay with it, if that’s what he’s said, (and) I know Dricus is game. So we’ll go up, we won’t wait for him to come down," Visser continued. "He’s fighting in October, so I really hope that the UFC gives us this blessing for December.
For now, Pereira will be preparing for his surprise return at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City this fall, with the Brazilian set to put his light heavyweight belt on the line against Khalil Rountree on October 5.
What would come after a potential victory over "The War Horse" remains to be seen, but it seems that a possible middleweight return now sits alongside frequent heavyweight teases for "Poatan."