Weak Sauce

Alex Pereira is not done fighting for middleweight gold.

Despite a successful run as light heavyweight champion, “Poatan” recently announced his plans to drop back down to 185 pounds to challenge reigning middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis. But any talk of potential “champ champ” fights will remain on hold until Pereira first defeats Khalil Rountree Jr. atop the UFC 307 pay-per-view (PPV) card next month in Salt Lake City.

it also requires matchmakers to overlook No. 2-ranked light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev, who was inexplicably snubbed for the lower-ranked “War Horse” when the promotion announced its UFC 307 headliner. The Russian will instead battle sputtering “Rocket” Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 this October in Abu Dhabi.

“You are so weak Alex Pereira,” Ankalaev wrote on Twitter. “You only pick on the guys who are in lower divisions than you and you think you can beat them. People are not stupid, there is a reason why you are fighting Khalil and not me.”

To be fair, Pereira has also been picking on guys in the higher divisions.

UFC has been accused of protecting Pereira, who stepped up twice this year to save big-money main events. But Du Plessis is also expected to face former middleweight champion Sean Strickland in his next 185-pound title defense, so a lot of things will have to go right (or wrong) to entertain Pereira vs. Du Plessis.

Until then, Ankalaev will probably stay mad.