Dricus du Plessis isn't done at 185 pounds just yet. Since then the division has reshuffled. Strickland beat Chimaev by split decision on May nine, two thousand twenty six, putting Strickland back on top, while Chimaev now sits as our number one ranked middleweight. Du Plessis, ranked number two, last fought on July eighteen, two thousand twenty six, taking a unanimous decision over Kamaru Usman to keep himself squarely in the title picture. Part of what's fueling the two division talk is just how hard du Plessis says the cut to 185 actually is. He put it bluntly, saying 'I'm cutting 45 pounds,' a number that explains why a run at light heavyweight has been floated as the eventual plan rather than an immediate one. Our Elo model has du Plessis at 1609 across eight bouts, the highest of the three names currently tangled up in the middleweight title picture. Strickland sits at 1545 over nine fights and Chimaev at 1549 over four, numbers that suggest du Plessis would be live in a rematch with either man if the UFC lines one up next. For now this is du Plessis stating intent rather than the promotion confirming a fight, but with Strickland holding the belt and Chimaev lurking at number one, the path back to middleweight gold runs through a division he already knows well. The light heavyweight experiment, by his own words, can wait. Fans have been chewing on the two division talk in this week's r/MMA recap thread as well, with plenty of discussion around whether du Plessis gets his shot at Strickland or Chimaev first.