Dricus du Plessis’ previously booked opponent sends him message as he looks to rise up the rankings at UFC Vegas 99

Dricus du Plessis was scheduled to fight Anthony Hernandez at UFC 273, long before the South African became the middleweight champion, but the fight never materialized. Ahead of his clash at UFC Vegas 99 on Oct. 19, the No.13-ranked contender has sent du Plessis a message.

Hernandez is scheduled to take on the enigmatic Brazilian Michel Pereira in the main event of this weekend's Apex card. The American will enter the octagon riding a five-fight winning streak, while his opponent has won his previous eight fights in a row.

'Fluffy' was recently interviewed by MMAFightingonSBN to preview his upcoming clash with Pereira. He was also asked to share his thoughts on a potential matchup with 'Stillknocks', given the champion's and his unorthodox styles. He replied:

"He mixed it up. He's a big, strong motherf***er. But he mixes MMA up very well. I think it would be a f**king great fight with him. He's a tough motherf***er, he's got a chin. He hits people and puts them to sleep, it's an exciting fight to me. That would be f**king fun. And he's just doing his thing. Good on him. I'll see you soon."

Watch Anthony Hernandez's message to Dricus du Plessis below (11:35):

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Sean Strickland's coach shares Dricus du Plessis' DM after rematch was confirmed as next

Dricus du Plessis became the first man in MMA history to finish both Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker when he submitted 'The Last Stylebender' at UFC 305.

The South African has continued to surprise MMA fans around the world with his ability to win fights in spectacular fashion. With many intrigued to know who he will face next, his coach appeared to confirm that the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev, set for UFC 308, was his next opponent.

But UFC CEO Dana White confirmed several days later that Sean Strickland would likely fight du Plessis next in a rematch.

Following White's comments, Strickland's coach Eric Nicksick was interviewed by MMAFightingonSBN, where he shared the message he received from the champion ahead of their potential clash. The Xtreme Couture head coach said:

"It's hard to emulate what Dricus does because he's very unorthodox but knows what he's doing in his own style... I'm looking forward to this matchup again, Dricus wrote [to] me a couple of days ago, he's like, 'Yo, I'm excited to go against you again bro.' I have all the love and respect for Dricus and his team, but this is our job."

Watch Nicksick discuss Dricus du Plessis below (20:10):