Dricus du Plessis Turned Down UFC Light Heavyweight Tournament Offer
DDP's coach reveals the team rejected a four-man 205-pound tournament to focus on reclaiming the middleweight title.
The UFC floated a four-man light heavyweight tournament, and Dricus du Plessis said no thanks.
Du Plessis' head coach Morne Visser revealed in an interview with Fight Forecast that the UFC approached the team roughly three weeks ago about a 205-pound tournament featuring du Plessis, Jiri Prochazka, Magomed Ankalaev and Navajo Stirling. The format called for pool fights on a single night, with the two winners meeting in a final. The last man standing would earn a title shot against light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg, who is currently sidelined with an injury.
Visser turned it down flat. The reason is straightforward: du Plessis wants his middleweight belt back first.
"We want our middleweight belt back and we want to defend it once," Visser told Fight Forecast. He added that the jump to 205 is "100% the plan," but the team intends to get there gradually. It took a full year to move du Plessis from welterweight to middleweight, and they are not about to rush the next transition.
Du Plessis lost his middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev earlier this year but bounced back with a unanimous decision over Kamaru Usman in July, per Sherdog. He also holds two wins over current champion Sean Strickland, which gives him a strong case for another shot at 185 pounds before eyeing the division above.
The bigger revelation here might be the tournament itself. The UFC has historically avoided tournament formats, and the fact that the promotion pitched one at light heavyweight suggests the brass is exploring new ways to sort out a stacked division while Ulberg heals up. Prochazka and Stirling are already booked to headline UFC Qatar on Nov. 21. Ankalaev has no announced bout.
I love that DDP's camp turned this down. It sounds exciting on paper, four killers in one night at 205, but Dricus is playing the long game and it is the right call. He has unfinished business at middleweight. The man has two wins over Strickland and just handled Usman. He deserves a title shot at 185 before chasing anything at light heavyweight.
The more interesting piece is the UFC floating a tournament at all. That is not something Dana White's promotion does, historically. Light heavyweight has been a mess since the title started changing hands every other fight, and Ulberg being hurt creates a logjam. A tournament is one way to clear it. I would not be shocked if they try it with different names.
For now, keep your eyes on du Plessis vs. whoever holds that middleweight belt next. That fight is coming, and DDP is going to be a problem at 185 again before he ever touches 205.
