Dricus du Plessis wants a second division. The former UFC middleweight champion confirmed he plans to move up to light heavyweight eventually. He framed it as the last stop on a longer road, and the first stop is getting his 185-pound title back.
Du Plessis laid it out on “The Sias du Plessis Show,” as BJPenn.com reported.
“I want to get my belt back and eventually go up to 205 and go test myself there, and I’m certain that I will be a champion,” he said. “I’m big enough for that division, and I’m certain I can be champion at that division, as well.”
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He didn’t hedge on the confidence. He did hedge on the calendar. The plan, in his words, is to reclaim the middleweight title, defend it, and keep going at 185 for as long as the fights stay interesting and the resume of his opponents justifies it. Only then comes the jump.
“Yeah of course, then going up to 205. Not necessarily in 2027, but if the opportunity is there, it’s there,” du Plessis said.
Where he stands
Du Plessis is 32 and holds a 10-1 record in the UFC. He won the middleweight title and defended it twice before losing it to Khamzat Chimaev. He got back in the win column against Kamaru Usman, and the 185-pound division has started circling him again.
Brendan Allen is one of the guys circling. After his win at UFC Vegas 112, Allen urged du Plessis to “drop his nuts,” adding, “I’ve been waiting to sign the contract.” That’s about as direct a callout as this sport produces, and I respect it.
The chatter about 205 didn’t start with this interview, either. Du Plessis has hinted for a while that he wants to test himself at the higher weight, and BJPenn.com separately reported that a potential next opponent teased the move as well. This time he put it plainly and on the record.
The reaction
Aaron Bronsteter, who covers the sport for TSN, gave it a one-line endorsement on X. “Dricus would give light heavyweight a much needed jolt,” he wrote, quoting BJPenn.com’s post about the interview.
It’s hard to argue. Du Plessis is the rare champion-level fighter who sells a fight just by opening his mouth, and his style has made every opponent look uncomfortable at some point, even the ones who beat him. He’s also a guy who answers the question you asked. Ask him if he’s big enough for 205 and he says yes, then tells you he’ll win the belt there too. No PR filter.
Quick take
I love it, and I’m also not booking my flight yet. “Not necessarily in 2027” plus a middleweight title run plus at least one defense adds up to a long runway for a 32-year-old, and plans like this have a way of dying in a contract negotiation. Still, Bronsteter has it right. A division gets a jolt when someone with du Plessis’s mouth and his chaos walks in, and light heavyweight could use one. First, though, he has to get through 185 again, and Brendan Allen says the contract’s already waiting on him.
