Sean Strickland raised eyebrows during UFC 312 fight week in claiming Alex Pereira holds disdain for Dricus du Plessis.
As Sean Strickland looks to reclaim the middleweight belt this weekend at UFC 312, he’ll have a familiar name in his corner as he did for his first fight with Dricus du Plessis. But according to Strickland, his high-profile cornerman isn’t solely motivated to help him reclaim the middleweight throne
Strickland vs. du Plessis 2 headlines a stacked card this Saturday at UFC 312 in Sydney. After du Plessis defeated Strickland in their first fight at UFC 297, Strickland defeated Paulo Costa at UFC 302 to make a strong case for a rematch.
Strickland will have a former opponent, and one of the UFC’s biggest stars, in his corner for UFC 312. UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who knocked out Strickland earlier in their careers, is in Sydney to advise Strickland for the du Plessis rematch.
Earlier this week, Strickland claimed Pereira ‘hates’ du Plessis, and that it’s a significant reason why he’ll be in the corner for UFC 312. Pereira hinted at a middleweight return to face du Plessis after the middleweight titleholder defeated his four-time rival, Israel Adesanya, at UFC 305.
Du Plessis is perplexed by the notion that Pereira loathes him.
Image of Dricus du Plessis and Alex Pereira
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Dricus du Plessis showers Alex Pereira with praise after Sean Strickland’s hate claim
In a recent interview with AgFight, du Plessis responded to Strickland’s remarks.
“[Pereira] was also in the corner (of Strickland) in the last fight. And that doesn’t make any difference to me. And the same applies to this one. I don’t think he hates me,” du Plessis said. “If he does, I don’t know why. Sometimes you see a person and you just don’t like them, maybe that’s it (laughs). Maybe he doesn’t like my face, or my attitude, I don’t know. But I don’t think he hates me. But if he does, I have no idea (why).UFC 293: Sean Strickland upsets Israel Adesanya to win middleweight title – BBC Sport
“We’ve never even spoken. I asked him for a picture, I think, once. I consider Alex an incredible fighter, one of the greatest that ever walked the planet Earth, one of the greatest combat athletes in history. But if he hates me, I don’t care. I have enough friends already.” (h/t AgFight)
As of this writing, Pereira hasn’t responded to Strickland’s claims nor expanded on his stance towards du Plessis.
Dricus du Plessis targets eventual LHW move to challenge for Alex Pereira’s belt
Du Plessis revealed that challenging for Pereira’s light heavyweight title is one of his short-term goals, and he could potentially move up by the end of the year. However, a win over Strickland would likely set him up for a clash with the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 312.
Pereira will face Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC 313 main event next month in Las Vegas for his next light heavyweight title defense. He returns after finishing Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 last October.
Depending on the results of their next fights, du Plessis and Pereira could potentially be on a collision course. For now, the nature of Pereira’s alleged hatred of du Plessis is uncertain, but he’ll look to lead Strickland to a victory this weekend.
