Dricus du Plessis saw a familiar opening when Sean Strickland took the UFC middleweight title back from Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328.
Strickland defeated Chimaev by split decision on May 9, 2026, at Prudential Center in Newark, giving Chimaev the first loss of his professional career and starting Strickland’s second title reign at 185 pounds. Du Plessis had a lot riding on that result without even being in the cage, because he owns two wins over Strickland but lost his own belt to Chimaev at UFC 319.
Du Plessis reacted after the main event and said Strickland’s style created the exact kind of fight he expected.
“Fight went exactly the way I thought it would,” du Plessis 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.”
Du Plessis also gave Strickland credit before joking about what the result means for the title picture.
“Congratulations. I guess this makes me world champion again.”
The records now stand at 31-7 for Strickland, 15-1 for Chimaev, and 23-3 for du Plessis. Strickland won on two 48-47 scorecards, while one judge scored the fight 48-47 for Chimaev.
Du Plessis Gets A Cleaner Road Back Into The Title Picture
Du Plessis’ reaction makes sense for the division. A Chimaev title reign created a tougher route for him after their UFC 319 fight, where Chimaev’s wrestling and control carried him to a dominant decision. Strickland holding the belt again is a different story because du Plessis has already beaten him twice.
The timing still matters. Strickland said after UFC 328 that he wanted time off after a long training stretch, and he also named Nassourdine Imavov as a likely contender. Chimaev’s future is not settled either, with Dana White saying Chimaev told him he wanted to move up from middleweight after the loss.
That leaves du Plessis in a stronger position than he was before UFC 328, but not automatically at the front of the line. He may still need another win before the UFC books a third Strickland fight, especially if Imavov gets the next shot or Chimaev decides to stay at 185 pounds and chase an immediate rematch.
Still, Strickland beating Chimaev changed the math. Du Plessis went from chasing the man who beat him to watching a former rival bring the belt back into a matchup he already knows well.
