Alex Pereira’s loss to Magomed Ankalaev cost Dricus Du Plessis some big money.
‘Poatan’ surrendered his light heavyweight title to Ankalaev via unanimous decision at UFC 313 after delivering a lackluster performance during their five-round headliner in Las Vegas.
Along with Pereira’s title went potential money-making clashes with heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Du Plessis, the UFC’s reigning middleweight king. Both possibilities were completely derailed when Ankalaev went off-script and bested the Brazilian boogeyman in a fight that left a lot to be desired.
“Thanks, Ankalaev, for taking the biggest payday of my life,” Du Plessis said on Jackson O’Doherty’s video blog series on YouTube. “It’s nothing personal.”
Dricus Du Plessis No Longer interested in a fight with pereira
However, not all hope is lost. With Pereira slated for an immediate rematch against Ankalaev, there’s a possibility that ‘Poatan’ could regain his momentum with a highlight-reel finish over the new 205-pound titleholder.
But even if that turns out to be the case, Du Plessis thinks the aura surrounding Pereira has been damaged beyond repair.
“No (I’m not interested),” Du Plessis said. “Aura gone.”
Instead, ‘DDP’ will just have to focus on taking out undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev, the man he’s slated to square off with next. No official date or location has been announced regarding their inevitable scrap, but Dana White has all but confirmed that ‘Borz’ is next.
