Sean Strickland joins Alex Pereira for UFC 307 camp, sends a message to Dricus du Plessis
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is joining forces with Alex Pereira for the latter’s upcoming title defense in Salt Lake City.
Pereira will defend the UFC light heavyweight title against the surging Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 on October 5th. He returns to the Octagon after two successful title defenses this year, including on weeks’ notice at UFC 303.
On the way to becoming a two-division UFC champion, Pereira knocked out Strickland at UFC 276, a stunning finish in just his third UFC appearance. Four months later, he won the UFC middleweight title by defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 281.
After their minutes-long clash, Pereira and Strickland have become friends in recent years. The two sides have trained together, particularly ahead of their matchups against Adesanya.
Strickland will serve as a key presence in Pereira’s camp ahead of the light heavyweight champion’s fight against his former Syndicate MMA teammate.
Is Sean Strickland cornering Alex Pereira at UFC 307?
In a recent Instagram post, Strickland shared his arrival in Utah and urged Dricus du Plessis to sign off on their rematch.
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“[Cesar Almeida] and [Alex Pereira] ready for wars…” Strickland posted. “Let’s go Dutch man.. we’re waiting for him to say when… it’s time Dutchman.”
Strickland lost the UFC middleweight title to du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. Despite the crushing title defeat, he bounced back by defeating Paulo Costa in his return at UFC 302.
Pereira earned the then-vacant UFC light heavyweight belt by finishing Jiří Procházka at UFC 295. After knocking out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, he finished Procházka in their UFC 303 runback.
It’s uncertain as of this writing if Strickland will be in Pereira’s corner for UFC 307 next week. Regardless, it’s intriguing to watch the two former foes team up to prepare for some of the most dangerous fighters in mixed martial arts.
