Robert Whittaker has some phrases of warning for Alex Pereira.
At UFC 305, Dricus du Plessis made the primary profitable protection of his middleweight title by stopping former two-time champion Israel Adesanya. It was a powerful win that caught the eye of former middleweight champion and present gentle heavyweight champion Pereira, who recommended post-fight that he may make a return to 185 kilos to sq. off with du Plessis. However Whittaker says Pereira shouldn’t view du Plessis as a simple mark.
“Nicely, I hope not,” Whittaker stated on Submission Radio when requested if he believes Pereira will return all the way down to middleweight. “Actually, I don’t assume that’s an excellent combat for him. I don’t assume that’s an excellent combat for him. But additionally, once you transfer as much as gentle heavyweight, transferring again down is difficult. And it’s not such as you transfer up for one combat. He stayed up there. He’s been combating up there for some time now. So it’s it could be it could take lots out of him to get down, and Dricus is so robust there.”
Pereira started his UFC profession as a middleweight and gained the title over Adesanya at UFC 281. After shedding the belt of their UFC 287 rematch, “Poatan” moved as much as gentle heavyweight, the place he gained the title and has defended it twice.
However regardless of these latest successes, Whittaker nonetheless questions how a depleted Pereira would do in opposition to the facility and aggression of du Plessis.
“Alex will get hit,” Whittaker stated. “OK? And Dricus likes getting hit.
“It’s exhausting to see somebody with the quantity of energy to cease Dricus from strolling ahead into you, and Dricus hits exhausting. You noticed that within the combat in opposition to Adesanya. Adesanya has obtained a very good chin, and Dricus was nonetheless hurting him sufficient to, you already know, to to make him uncomfortable. So yeah.”
Whittaker, in fact, is aware of a lot about du Plessis. The previous middleweight champion confronted off with “Stillknocks” again at UFC 290, the place he was stopped within the second spherical. And like he believes Pereira is perhaps doing now, Whittaker says he didn’t give du Plessis the credit score he deserved heading into that combat.
“I’d wish to assume that I by no means underestimate my opponents, however I most likely did [with] him,” Whittaker stated. “Perhaps, it’s exhausting to say. The prep wasn’t supreme. All people says it. You take a look at him combat, and the man seems to be like a pub fighter, proper? However he simply retains smashing individuals.
“Like I stated, in that first combat with him, I noticed the punches coming. I moved out of the way in which. I felt good in there. I used to be like, ‘I obtained this.’ After which I obtained punched within the face. It’s not a fairly model, but it surely’s efficient. Tremendous efficient. And I feel the most important factor is the mentality behind his pictures. In the event you’re not at that degree, for those who’re not on the identical aircraft of providing as he’s, then he’s going to run away with it.”
If Pereira does make good on his warning and return to 185 kilos, it gained’t be for awhile. The UFC gentle heavyweight champ is at present scheduled to defend his belt in opposition to Khalil Rountree Jr. in the primary occasion of UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake Metropolis.
