It could In Dricus du Plessis move to light heavyweight sooner than expected?
Maybe someone should explain du Plessis’ schedule to the UFC in more detail because of the former lightweight Magomed Anchor Shiphas been floated by du Plessis as a potential possibility for Ankalaev’s return in the coming months.
“Right now we are waiting,” said Ankalaev. “The word is that Dricus du Plessis wants to go up and maybe they’ll fall out with me. That’s the information at the moment, we don’t have any other information yet.”
If I may speculate a little: The UFC may not be sure what to do with Du Plessis at middleweight right now. He’s right in the title, but Strickland is publicly threatened to quit the sport instead of defending the title. Meanwhile Nassourdine Imavov is stuck waiting for the next shot, but no one wants to see du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev 2 at this stage. The Brendan Allen fighting is probably the best option … but it’s not a very exciting match.
As we shall see Diego Lopes and his random BMF title shot In the lightweight division, the promotion seems more willing than ever to ask its top contenders to jump divisions when there is no clear path forward. If that can make for a worthy main event, why not send du Plessis up and see what happens during the middleweight title picture?
The question is whether the South African is willing to play ball. He’s clearly a guy motivated to reclaim his 185-pound throne, and a side quest up to 205 pounds could derail his current momentum.