Dricus du Plessis might be the happiest man in the Octagon right now—and he didn't even have to throw a punch.

After Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 to reclaim the middleweight title, du Plessis couldn't hide his excitement. And honestly, who could blame him? With two wins over Strickland already on his resume, the former champion is now in prime position to chase a third fight—and a shot at reclaiming UFC gold.

"Fight went exactly the way I thought it would," du Plessis said after the main event. "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. In the standup, Khamzat just won't be able to hang with him."

Du Plessis first won the 185-pound belt by defeating Strickland, then proved it was no fluke with an even more dominant performance in their rematch. But everything changed this past August when Chimaev took him down repeatedly and drained the fight out of him, crowning a new champion. Now, with Chimaev's reign already over, du Plessis sees an opening—and he's not shy about it.

"Congratulations," he added with a grin. "I guess this makes me world champion again."

Video footage captured du Plessis celebrating Strickland's victory, smiling ear to ear as he applauded the result. It's a stark reminder of how quickly fortunes can shift in MMA, and how past victories can suddenly become future opportunities.

Still, du Plessis may need to win one more fight before getting another shot at Strickland. The newly crowned champion has already named Nassourdine Imavov as the most likely top contender, and Strickland himself said he's planning a break after back-to-back camps for Chimaev and Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez. But with two wins over the champ already, don't be surprised if du Plessis is right back in the title conversation sooner rather than later.