Alex Pereira predicts Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis outcome UFC 297

UFC champ Alex Pereira predicts Sean Strickland to win against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 with a second-round knockout.

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has shared his prediction for the upcoming UFC 297 fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis. During a conversation with content creator Nina-Marie Daniele, Pereira expressed his thoughts on the title fight matchup, picking former opponent Strickland to emerge victorious in the main event.

Pereira revealed that while he hoped the fight would last the full 25 minutes, he ultimately predicted Strickland to secure a knockout victory in the second round. Speaking about his former opponent, Pereira said, "Sean Strickland. This man, we fought together, we train together, I know his advantages, I'm with him 100%. When I'm fighting, I just want to finish the five rounds, maybe a knockout. Same with Strickland, I'm hopeful he will win. I want him to make all five rounds in good shape. But I feel that by the second round, he will be able to knock out du Plessis."

Strickland and Pereira previously faced off at UFC 276, where Pereira secured a first-round knockout victory. Following that win, Strickland suffered a defeat against Jared Cannonier but went on to build a three-fight win streak, culminating in capturing the UFC middleweight title in a fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. Strickland's first title defense will be against du Plessis on Jan. 20 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Du Plessis, who is currently undefeated in the UFC with six victories, has won five of those fights via finishes. This sets the stage for an exciting matchup between the two fighters, with Pereira's prediction adding to the anticipation surrounding the highly-anticipated UFC 297 event.