Dricus Du Plessis hinted on social media that he is traveling to Newark for UFC 328, which takes place this weekend. The event features a key middleweight bout between Hamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland. Du Plessis, the middleweight champion, will be present at the event. His attendance suggests potential future matchups with the winner, as champions often scout their next challengers at major events.
Dricus Du Plessis is set to make an appearance at UFC 328 in Newark this weekend, with the South African middleweight champion hinting on social media that he is traveling to the event ahead of its May 9 card. The main draw for the champion figures to be a high-stakes middleweight clash between Hamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland.
Du Plessis, 32, carries a 23-3-0 record and holds the middleweight title, sitting at number seven in the pound-for-pound rankings. Fighting out of Team CIT, the switch-stance South African is a well-rounded threat who lands 5.18 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy and adds 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes to keep opponents guessing.
Sean Strickland enters UFC 328 as the reigning middleweight champion at 31-7-0, bringing relentless forward pressure that produces 6.04 significant strikes per minute. The 35-year-old American, who trains at Xtreme Couture, shares Du Plessis's six-foot-one frame and 76-inch reach, setting up an intriguing measuring stick between the two fighters should they ever meet.
Why it matters
- Du Plessis is the ranked number-two middleweight, making the Chimaev-Strickland winner a logical future opponent.
- Both Du Plessis and Strickland possess identical height and reach, pointing toward a technically compelling potential matchup.
- Champions scouting contenders in person often signals that title negotiations are not far behind.
- The 185-pound division's hierarchy could shift significantly depending on Saturday's outcome, with Du Plessis watching from ringside.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
