Dricus du Plessis is taking a couple of weeks off. Following his much-deserved vacation, the former UFC middleweight champion will return to training in hopes of improving his wrestling defense. His inability to stop takedowns from Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago cost Du Plessis the 185-pound strap. That’s the bad news. The good […]
Dricus du Plessis is taking a couple of weeks off.
Following his much-deserved vacation, the former UFC middleweight champion will return to training in hopes of improving his wrestling defense. His inability to stop takedowns from Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago cost Du Plessis the 185-pound strap.
That’s the bad news.
The good news, at least from the perspective of CIT Performance Institute head coach Morne Visser, is that Du Plessis only needs three months to fix the holes that led to his downfall at UFC 319. As a result, fight fans can expect Du Plessis back inside the cage in early 2026.
“I need 12 to 16 weeks, which is like three to four months, to sort this problem out,” Visser told Submission Radio. “I don’t need fitness, I don’t need strength, I don’t need conditioning, I don’t need to fix his stand up. I just need to fix this problem, and it’s a fixable problem. I need about 12 to 16 weeks to fix the problem and then go back into camp immediately, a 12-week fight camp. So, we’ll be back early next year.”
Du Plessis, 31, may not be in line for an immediate rematch, simply because the division is stacked with several worthy contenders. Nassourdine Imavov battles Caio Borralho at UFC Paris on Sept. 6 and Reinier de Ridder collides with Anthony Hernandez at UFC Vancouver on Oct. 18.
As for Chimaev, he may (or may not) return at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.
Category: General Sports
