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Sean Strickland Reacts to Alex Pereira Teasing Return to Middleweight Amid Dricus du Plessis Fight Speculation
Sean Strickland reflects on Alex Pereira's middleweight run, addressing speculations about his performance and future in the division in this latest MMA update.
Sean Strickland believes there is no way Alex Pereira will return to fight at middleweight. According to Strickland, once an athlete moves up in weight class, the chances of moving back down are slim. Cutting weight is a difficult process, and most athletes are not comfortable enduring that kind of pain. For example, UFC athlete Tracy Cortez recently had to cut her hair in order to make weight.
Speaking to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Strickland stated, “His big a** ain’t going back down to 185, dude… As a welterweight who moved up to 185, once you get used to that weight class, the thought of going back down sounds miserable. I think Alex should fight [Dricus du Plessis] at 205 any day of the week. Any day of the week, he sits at 205, 100 percent…”
‘Tarzan’ then went on to justify his claims by recalling an incident when Alex Pereira was in significant discomfort.
Strickland stated that the last time Poatan competed in the middleweight division, he looked quite drained out. Referring to his condition as ‘death’, Strickland remembered how he advised Pereira to move up to the light heavyweight.
Well, all this speculation started after the UFC light heavyweight champion declared his wish of fighting against Dricus du Plessis. Soon after Du Plessis submitted Israel Adesanya via a rear naked choke, Poatan expressed his desire to come down to middleweight.
As a matter of fact, Alex Pereira has had significant success in the middleweight division. Defeating the likes of ‘Izzy’, Pereira has been a former champion of the division. Thus, there is no doubt that he can surely be competent enough to give Du Plessis a run for his money if he wanted to. But the big issue is the fact that Alex Pereira is currently fancying a potential move to the heavyweight division. If he can successfully clear the light heavyweight roster, Pereira will have the opportunity to become the first ever three-division champion in UFC’s history.
And as for Sean Strickland, Pereira coming to the middleweight division will not be a pleasant sight for him. Although he is the frontrunner to face Dricus du Plessis for the title, there are significant hurdles lurking around. The likes of Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev are making strong questions for their chances at the title. Thus, it is very important for Strickland to remain calm and try to win back his lost title. Because if he loses, the fast paced dynamics of the UFC might soon make Strickland distant from the title picture in his division.
ALSO READ: Sean Strickland Demands Rematch With Dricus Du Plessis: ‘You Ain’t Ducking Me’
