Du Plessis’ Coach on Pereira and a December Fight
After Dricus du Plessis submitted Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, Alex Pereira floated a return to middleweight and a possible challenge to the new champion. Du Plessis’ coach, Morne Visser, said he would rather have his fighter move up to light heavyweight and suggested December as an ambitious target. No fight was agreed, and Pereira already had a title defense scheduled for October.
A cross-division callout
Pereira’s post-fight remarks brought the former middleweight champion back into the conversation at 185 pounds. He had since won the light heavyweight title and built his career at 205, so the proposed matchup raised a practical question: which fighter would change divisions?
Visser’s answer was that du Plessis would consider moving up rather than ask Pereira to make another demanding cut to middleweight. The coach told Submission Radio he hoped the UFC would make a December fight possible. Du Plessis himself was more cautious at the UFC 305 press conference, saying he did not think Pereira should drop to 185.
Why December was only a proposal
At the time, Pereira was booked to defend his light heavyweight championship against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 on Oct. 5. That left little margin for a quick second title fight in December, especially if the October bout were demanding. A matchup with du Plessis would also require the UFC to agree on weight, belt status and timing.
The story, then, was a coach’s ambitious pitch and a champion’s open challenge—not a confirmed superfight. The idea offered a compelling route to a champion-versus-champion event, but the immediate schedule and weight-class questions made an official announcement the necessary next step.
Sources: MMA Fighting on Visser’s December proposal; MMA Fighting on du Plessis’ response; UFC announcement of Pereira vs. Rountree at UFC 307.
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Tags: MMA
