In the last 24 hours, the MMA sphere has been agog with activities from which several stories have emerged; hence, if during the last twenty-four hours you missed any vital information, do not worry as we are here for a new edition of the daily roundup. To start this compilation, we will be taking a look at the news of Dricus Du Plessis‘ next fight following his triumph over Israel Adesanya in Perth.

Thereafter, we will turn our attention to longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who made some remarks about an unhealthy habit of welterweight contender Carlos Prates. Finally, our roundup will end with the news of Israel Adesanya paying homage to a few African legends.

Dricus Du Plessis to fight Alex Pereira next?

When Dricus Du Plessis defeated Israel Adesanya, light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira shared a post announcing that he was coming back to the middleweight division for one last fight. Meanwhile, Sean Strickland would call for the rematch against ‘Stillknocks’ as well, but he could be hitting a roadblock. Du Plessis’s coach Morne Visser claimed that the South African star welcomes the Pereira challenge. However, instead of 185 pounds, he wants to move up to 205 pounds.

“I won’t give him [Pereira] the joy to go down to 185. We’ll just go up,” Dricus du Plessis’ coach told ‘Submission Radio’. “I’m sure that the UFC will be okay with that, going up… so he’s fighting in October. So I really hope the UFC gives us this blessing for December.” Would you be up for an Alex Pereira vs Dricus du Plessis showdown or do you prefer the South African taking on Sean Strickland? Let us know in the comments after you check out our next story.

Joe Rogan jibes at Carlos Prates for his smoking habit

Not many UFC fighters are known for smoking except for a handful of them. Brazilian contender Carlos Prates, who registered a knockout victory over Li Jingliang at UFC 305, has a habit of smoking, which he did even at the UFC 305 post-fight pressers, and for some reason Joe Rogan finds it amusing. While watching the main card opener, the 57-year-old said on the ‘JRE Companion’ show, “He’s like, ‘I’m a fighter, I am not an athlete.’… This dude smokes [chuckles]. He’s been smoking since he was like 14 or something.”

Nevertheless, Joe Rogan didn’t forget about his credentials as an MMA fighter. Carlos Prates is a 20-6 fight veteran with all of his UFC wins coming via knockouts. “The most important thing is like he’s nasty. He knows how to f*** people up and he’s got really good timing, man. He’s a real fighter,” Rogan added. Prates is undefeated in the UFC and it will be interesting to see whom he fights next.

Israel Adesanya pays homage to African champions

Dricus Du Plessis finally got the acknowledgment from Israel Adesanya that he was asking for – to be called an African champion. ‘Izzy’ has no doubt that the champion proved that. He shared some kind words for Du Plessis after their clash. “Dricus is an African champion,” Adesanya stated on the post-fight presser. However, he still believes that he, along with a couple of other African champions, Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman, are on another level of championship status.

“The three kings will reign supreme. That era right there was what set us off, for people like him,” Israel Adesanya added, while also wishing Dricus du Plessis luck in his future fights. “He is gonna inspire another generation of African fighters as well. Congrats to him tonight. Till we meet again.” 

How do you rate the main event of UFC 305? Let us know in the comments below.