UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and contender Caio Borralho engaged in a heated social media exchange. Borralho traveled to South Africa to challenge Du Plessis, who responded by inviting him to spar at his gym and offering to post the footage. Borralho countered by calling Du Plessis childish and demanding he sign a contract. Du Plessis fired back questioning why Borralho believes he is even being considered for a title shot, and challenged him to come to the gym since he was only 30 minutes away. Amid this public back-and-forth, multiple insiders reported that a fight between Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman is being developed. The post also noted that Shavkat Rakhmonov posted rehabilitation footage that concerned fans, as he appeared far from fighting condition and has not competed in over 18 months.
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and ranked contender Caio Borralho have taken their rivalry off social media and into the streets of South Africa, trading barbs in a heated public exchange that has drawn significant attention within the division.
Borralho, 33, made the bold move of traveling to South Africa to confront Du Plessis directly. The Brazilian, who trains out of The Fighting Nerds and holds an 18-2 record with the fourth-ranked spot in the middleweight division, demanded the champion sign a contract and labeled Du Plessis childish after the champion responded by inviting him to spar at his gym and offering to post the footage publicly.
Du Plessis, 32, was not about to back down. The South African champion, who carries a 23-3 record and sits at number seven in the pound-for-pound rankings, fired back by questioning whether Borralho was even being considered for a title shot at all. With his challenger reportedly only thirty minutes away, Du Plessis doubled down on the gym invitation and pushed Borralho to show up.
Stylistically, the potential matchup carries intrigue. Du Plessis is a switch-stance pressure fighter averaging 5.18 significant strikes per minute, while Borralho works from a southpaw stance and posts a striking accuracy of 56 percent along with 1.28 takedowns per fifteen minutes.
Why it matters
- Du Plessis is the reigning middleweight champion, meaning any contender callout carries real title implications
- Borralho at number four is on the fringes of title contention, and a public confrontation raises his profile
- Multiple insiders have reported that a fight between Du Plessis and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is being developed, which could complicate Borralho's path to a shot
Separately, welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, ranked third at 170 pounds with a perfect 19-0 record, drew concern from fans after posting rehabilitation footage. The undefeated Kazakh has not competed in over eighteen months, and the footage suggested he remains far from fight-ready.
