The UFC remains one of the most happening combat sports organizations on the planet. Not only do they entertain with the action inside the cage, but they also provide a lot of drama outside it. Notably, the most recent drama includes Alex Pereira and Dricus du Plessis.
Recently, it was revealed that Pereira and his longtime girlfriend had reportedly stopped following each other on social media. Whilst his girlfriend Merle posted a cryptic message hinting at their breakup, Alex posted a clip of himself shadowboxing near a cliff. A confusing matter, to say the least, the couple are yet to confirm the end of their alliance.
A day after Alex Pereira and his girlfriend break up and Dricus Du Plessis is now following her and liking her posts. He is slowly becoming the biggest menace in MMA and I’m in full support of it. pic.twitter.com/GTt4PeU15H
— THE MMA GURU (@THATBOYMMAGURU) December 30, 2023
However, in the meantime, there has been an interesting twist in the tale. UFC middleweight title contender Dricus du Plessis has seemingly started following Alex’s girlfriend Merle on Instagram. Initially reported by The MMA GURU, the popular MMA content creator posted screenshots of Dricus following the Brazilian’s ex-girlfriend.
Currently, it is yet to be confirmed whether “Poatan” and Merle have broken up for good. However, Dricus’ intervention seems almost too intentional. Whilst he is known for stirring up trouble and instigating fights, this is a new move even for the South African. As such, let’s look at how and why the matter is deeper than initially anticipated.
Does Dricus du Plessis have a rivalry with Alex Pereira?
For the most part, “Stillknocks” and Alex share a common foe, Israel Adesanya. Whilst Alex’s rivalry with Adesanya needs no introduction, it has lasted decades over two different sports. Additionally, following their last encounter at UFC 287, there is an expectation that an MMA trilogy may be visited one day.
At the same time, Dricus’ rivalry with Adesanya stemmed from a racial debate that further escalated at UFC 290. Thus, some would assume that Pereira and du Plessis would band together against their common foe. However, that is seemingly not the case. Taking a look at their past comments, both fighters have not rated each other either.
Notably, ahead of UFC 282, Dricus spoke about Pereira becoming a champion at UFC 281. “We have a change of champions. I honestly don’t think Pereira will be as dominant as Izzy has been as a champion”. Although he did give him his praises for beating Adesanya, Dricus also claimed that he could knock out Sean Strickland better than Pereira.
At the same time, many can say a lot of what Dricus has said and done is in response to Alex’s comments as well. In the past, Pereira very blatantly said that the South African would not be able to beat Robert Whittaker. Moreover, the Brazilian also stated that a fight with Adesanya would likely result in a massacre for du Plessis. Thus, it is clear that Dricus has had the motive to antagonize Pereira for a while now. With that said it will be interesting to see how the matter progresses from here.