UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis likes Jiri Prochazka at middleweight

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis believes Jiri Prochazka should move down to his division.

Prochazka (30-4-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), a former light heavyweight champion, returned to the win column after knocking out Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300 earlier this month. He is contemplating a move down to 185 pounds but not before he reclaims the 205-pound title.

Prochazka told Michael Bisping the weight came off naturally before he hit the scale against Rakic and thinks, with a cleaner diet, he could make middleweight.

Interestingly enough, Du Plessis’ comments came before Prochazka even fought Rakic or mentioned middleweight. Du Plessis said after seeing Prochazka at the UFC Performance Institute, he’s convinced he should drop down to middleweight.

“Prochazka is too small,” Du Plessis said on the “Shadow Banned” podcast. “I think Prochazka needs to go down to (middleweight). I saw Prochazka’s weight at the PI, and I think he’s too small for (light heavyweight). He walks around lighter than I do. I know that. I love Prochazka, make no mistake. I just think in pure size as a light heavy – Pereira is a light heavy, and he’s big.”

Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) claimed the middleweight title by edging out Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January. He shared some numbers on his weight on fight day and how much he weighs months after his fight.

“I got into the cage at 96.5 (kilos) without the clothes,” Du Plessis said of his fight vs. Strickland. “12.5 (kilos gain after weigh-ins). … I probably walk around now around 222 (pounds). That’s around what, 101, 102 kilos?”