Dricus du Plessis may not have been inside the Octagon at UFC 328, but he left Newark's Prudential Center feeling like a champion once again.
The former middleweight titleholder watched from cageside as Sean Strickland reclaimed the belt by defeating Khamzat Chimaev in Saturday night's main event. For Du Plessis, it was the perfect outcome—and one he'd predicted all along.
Strickland's victory over Chimaev was historic in its own right. The American became the first fighter to defeat "Borz" inside the UFC cage, outlasting the Chechen-born powerhouse over five grueling rounds. But what makes this result even sweeter for Du Plessis is his personal history with the new champion.
The South African holds two wins over Strickland—a rare accomplishment that now carries even more weight. Their first meeting at UFC 297 was a razor-thin split decision that crowned Du Plessis as champion. Their rematch at UFC 312, just over a year later, was far more decisive, with Du Plessis dominating en route to a clear victory.
Du Plessis's own title reign was brief but memorable. Chimaev took the belt from him in Chicago, using suffocating wrestling and control to dominate for over 20 minutes. But with "Borz" now dethroned and a familiar foe wearing the crown, the division's landscape has shifted dramatically in Du Plessis's favor.
"The fight went exactly the way I thought it would," Du Plessis said in a backstage UFC video. "A great, great fight by Sean. Like I said, it's so hard to keep that man on the ground. He is incredibly tough to hold on to."
He continued: "He made Khamzat tired. That is exactly what happened. And like I said, in the stand-up, he won't be able to hang with him."
With two wins over the current champion, Du Plessis's stock in the middleweight division has never been higher. The South African has hinted at a return to action and continues to be linked with a potential super fight against welterweight legend Kamaru Usman—a matchup fans have been clamoring for.
If that bout comes together, a win could catapult Du Plessis right back into title contention before the year is out. For a fighter who just watched his path back to gold become clearer than ever, Saturday night couldn't have gone any better.