Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis wants to reclaim what he lost in 2025. Stillknocks” discussed in a recent interview when he plans to return to the octagon.
Dricus du Plessis lost his 185-pound championship to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 last year.
The South African had no answer to Chimaev’s dominant wrestling, and so the title fight was a one-sided affair with “Borz” securing a control time of over 21 minutes and taking du Plessis down 12 times.
Dricus du Plessis Wants to Fight at UFC 327, Would Like to Turn It Back With Khamzat Chimaev
It’s been almost six months since Dricus du Plessis’ title loss, and now the former champion has revealed he wants to fight at UFC 327 in April. Du Plessis shared Battle Prediction:
“I’m ready for April [UFC 327]… There is no opponent yet, there is no contract yet, we have none of that. Anybody, let’s go, I’m ready to go again and get back to work as soon as possible. It doesn’t really matter who it is, but of course I would like it to be Khamzat and make up for that loss. For me right now, the next fight is the most important fight of my life, and I will win that fight, and I will get my belt back.
Dricus du Plessis added that he plans to return the fight to Chimaev as soon as possible and is aware that the second fight could also go the same way as the first if he does not make the necessary changes to prevent “Borz” from taking him down. He added:
“Fighting Khamzat again is what I want. Expect surprises? No. There won’t be any surprises. That’s the way he’s going to fight, and if he tries anything else, it’ll be a terrible night… He did what he had to do to win that title. We can’t hate him for that… Now it’s my responsibility to go fix that to stop him from doing that again and make him fight my fight… It’s my responsibility to stop him from doing that, and that is what I will do.
Chimaev, on the other hand, is expected to make his first defense of his title after Ramadan 2026 and will most likely face No. 2 contender Nassourdine Imavov.
After one successful title defense, “Borz” plans to move up the ranks in search of two-division glory, and it has been shout repeatedly light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira.
Du Plessis, on the other hand, has predicted that he will regain his lost glory by the end of 2026, with or without a rematch against Chimaev. He added:
“I will have my belt back before the end of this year.”
Watch Dricus du Plessis’ comments below (9:23):
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