Alex Poatán promised promotion to middleweight (Photo: Instagram)
With no confirmed opponent to defend the middleweight belt (up to 83,9kg), Dricus du Plessis diverted attention from the main challengers and speculated about a fight against Alex Poatán. In an interview with 'Submission Radio', the South African left Strickland and Chimaev aside and said he would be able to knock out the light heavyweight champion (up to 93kg).
Du Plessis highlighted the difference between fighting in MMA and kickboxing. The champion emphasized that, in MMA, the gloves are smaller, which makes the blows more impactful and lethal. He also stated that, at some point, he could hit Poatan and end the fight.
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“I’m not fighting a kickboxing fight. I’m fighting an MMA fight, and in a kickboxing fight you have to be able to land combinations. You have to land big punches all the time. Stun the guy, and then you have an eight-second count. But in MMA, it doesn’t matter who you are: if I hit you clean with these little gloves, you’re going to go down, and eventually I’m going to catch you,” said the South African champion.
Although he has shown respect for Alex Poatán, praising the Brazilian's resume, Du Plessis said he believes he can hit Poatan and beat him. He cited as an example Pereira's most recent victory against Khalil rountree No. UFC 307.
“I really believe that with a guy like Alex Pereira, there is power, and I have a lot of power too. Yes, he has a clean striking. His striking is incredible. That’s why he has the kickboxing resume that he has. But we saw in the fight with Khalil rountree. we saw a lot of things. Khalil was successful in the first two rounds. He really was,” Du Plessis said.
Dricus Du Plessis won the middleweight belt after winning Sean Strickland by split decision. The champion defended his title against Israel adesanya and now awaits confirmation of its next challenger.
Currently, Strickland, who is ranked number one, is awaiting his rematch against the South African. However, Khamzat Shimaev can skip the line after your dominant victory against Robert Whittaker. Alex Poatán is also an option, since the Brazilian has shown interest in returning to the middleweight category, where he was champion. In addition, Dricus is also interested in moving up to light heavyweight and trying to win his second belt.
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