When Magomed Ankalaev snatched the UFC light heavyweight title from Alex Pereira at UFC 313, Dricus Du Plessis didn’t just see a belt change hands—he watched a fat stack of cash vanish right before his eyes. The middleweight champ (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) had been locked in a slow-burn dance with Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), tossing callouts and weaving each other into juicy storylines that had “money fight” written all over them. It was the kind of buildup that had fans drooling and Du Plessis counting dollar signs—until Ankalaev crashed the party with a unanimous decision win that was about as exciting as a tax seminar.
“Thanks, Ankalaev, for taking the biggest payday of my life,” Du Plessis quipped on Jackson O’Doherty’s YouTube video blog series, dripping with sarcasm. “It’s nothing personal.” You can almost hear the eye-roll in his voice—Ankalaev might’ve walked off with the 205-pound strap, but he also kneecapped what could’ve been a blockbuster showdown. Du Plessis isn’t wrong to be salty; Pereira’s aura as the knockout king was half the draw, and that snoozefest of a loss didn’t exactly keep the hype train rolling.
Still, Du Plessis isn’t ready to write Pereira off completely. Word is “Poatan” is lined up for an immediate rematch with Ankalaev, and if he can snatch that belt back—especially with one of those jaw-dropping KOs he’s famous for—the spotlight might swing his way again. Picture it: Pereira flattening Ankalaev with a left hook from hell, the crowd losing its mind, and suddenly the Du Plessis fight’s back on the table, dripping with gold and glory. It’s the kind of redemption arc that could make the cash registers sing—except Du Plessis isn’t buying the comeback hype. “No (I’m not interested),” he said, blunt as a sledgehammer. “Aura gone.” Oof—that’s a mic drop right there. In Dricus’ book, Pereira’s mystique took a nosedive, and no rematch is bringing back that untouchable vibe.
For now, Du Plessis has his own dance card to fill. He’s got his sights set on defending his 185-pound crown against the unbeaten wrecking ball Khamzat Chimaev—a fight that’s buzzing but not yet locked in with a date or venue. It’s a clash of titans that promises fireworks, and Du Plessis isn’t sweating Pereira’s detour. Why chase a faded star when he’s got a hungry wolf like Chimaev clawing for his throne? Ankalaev might’ve swiped one payday, but “Stillknocks” is out to stack his own legacy—and his bank account—one brutal win at a time.
