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Morne Visser, head coach of former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, says the promotion asked his fighter to move up to 205 pounds for a four-man tournament, an offer the camp declined, Visser said on the Fight Forecast show on Tuesday.
The UFC has not publicly confirmed any such proposal, and the account below is Visser’s.
Visser said the UFC approached the camp about three weeks earlier with a format that would have put du Plessis alongside Jiri Prochazka, Magomed Ankalaev and Navajo Stirling, according to Sherdog’s transcription of the interview. “They wanted the four guys to go into a pool and fight in one night and then the winner of that fight each other and then the winner of that fight Carlos Ulberg, a bit of a Grand Prix,” Visser said.
Middleweight Title Comes First
Visser said he turned the offer down because the camp wants to regain the middleweight championship and defend it once before moving up. He said a move to light heavyweight is the plan but should happen gradually, noting it took a year to build du Plessis up from welterweight to middleweight.
Visser also said the camp is targeting a return in February or March 2027, according to Bloody Elbow, and has mentioned Nassourdine Imavov and Brendan Allen as possible opponents. Neither bout has been booked.
Where the Divisions Stand
Sean Strickland holds the UFC middleweight title, and Carlos Ulberg is the light heavyweight champion. Ulberg is currently sidelined with an injury. Prochazka and Stirling are scheduled to headline UFC Qatar on Nov. 21, while Ankalaev has no bout announced.
Du Plessis, 24-3, lost the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev by unanimous decision in August 2025 and rebounded with a unanimous-decision win over Kamaru Usman in July. He holds two wins over Strickland, including a decision in their February 2025 rematch.
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