Dricus Du Plessis has unexpectedly found himself back in the UFC middleweight title conversation—and he didn’t even have to throw a punch to get there.
The South African powerhouse suffered a decisive loss to Khamzat Chimaev in their title fight at UFC 319 last August, a setback that seemed to push him out of the championship spotlight. But Saturday night at UFC 328, everything changed. Sean Strickland pulled off a stunning upset, defeating Chimaev via split decision in the main event at Newark’s Prudential Center to reclaim the 185-pound belt.
Here’s where it gets interesting for Du Plessis: he’s 2-0 against Strickland. “Stillknocks” first captured middleweight gold with a razor-thin split-decision win over Strickland at UFC 297 in January 2024, then solidified his reign with a more commanding five-round victory in their rematch at UFC 312 in February 2025.
Reacting to Strickland’s triumph on the UFC’s Instagram account, Du Plessis showed no surprise. “Fight went exactly the way I thought it would,” he said. “Great, great fight by Strickland. Like I said, it’s so hard to keep that man on the ground. He is incredibly tough to hold down. He made Khamzat tired, and that’s exactly what happened. I knew, and like I said in the standup [Khamzat] just won’t be able to hang with him.”
His closing remark carried a clear message for the division: “Congratulations. I guess this makes me world champion again.”
Du Plessis hasn’t stepped into the Octagon since his loss to Chimaev at UFC 319. Before that defeat, the former KSW champion had been on a remarkable run, winning his first eight UFC fights against a murderer’s row of contenders including Darren Till, Derek Brunson, Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya, and Strickland (twice). While no official announcement has been made about his return, Du Plessis hinted at big news in a recent Instagram post, simply writing “See y’all soon” in the caption on April 28.
For fans of combat sports and premium fight gear, this developing storyline adds another layer of intrigue to the middleweight division—and a reminder that in MMA, the champion’s path can shift in a single night.