{
  "id": 13339502,
  "title": "Dricus Du Plessis believes he could fight for the title next",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/dricus-du-plessis-believes-he-could-fight-for-the-title-next",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-10T05:42:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dricus-du-plessis-believes-could-054259099.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dricus Du Plessis, the former middleweight champion, successfully defended his 185-pound title at UFC 297 in January 2024 by defeating current champion Sean Strickland via split decision. Du Plessis continued his impressive run at UFC 312, where he once again outperformed Strickland. After his defeat to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, Du Plessis rebounded by convincingly defeating former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. With this win, he believes he could challenge for the title next, stating, \"After the last fight, I just prove again that I can be the best in the world and that I will be the best in the world.\" At UFC 312, Du Plessis highlighted the puzzling current state of the middleweight division, where negotiations between Strickland and the promotion are reportedly strained, with Strickland expressing his desire for a higher purse.",
  "summary": "Former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis believes he could find himself fighting for the title next.",
  "key_points": [
    "Dricus Du Plessis defended his 185-pound title in January 2024.",
    "He defeated Kamaru Usman after losing to Khamzat Chimaev.",
    "Du Plessis believes he could challenge for the title next."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}