Ankalaev says a light heavyweight fight with Dricus du Plessis has been discussed

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev said on Monday, October 19, that a fight with Dricus du Plessis at 205 pounds has been discussed. He said it in a Russian-language interview with Bostanov MMA, reported in English by MMA Sucka and MiddleEasy.

This is not a booked fight. There is no contract, event or date, and the UFC hasn't said anything about it. Du Plessis had not responded as of MMA Sucka's report.

What Ankalaev said

In MMA Sucka's translation, Ankalaev said:

"There's some talk about Dricus du Plessis. He wants to move up, and it's possible they'll arrange a fight between us. That's the information we have for now."

He added that it's "a good fight for me, and I'm interested in it myself." Neither write-up says who is doing the talking: the UFC, the fighters' managers or the media.

According to MiddleEasy, he also described how his search for an opponent has gone since July. He wanted to fight in October, but talks with Paulo Costa, Khalil Rountree and Jiri Prochazka fell through. His target slid to November, then December. An interim title idea involving four contenders was discussed, then faded after champion Carlos Ulberg signalled a return next year, according to Ankalaev. Asked to choose between a Pereira rematch and a title shot, he took the title shot.

Where both men stand

Ankalaev is No. 1 at light heavyweight in the UFC rankings. He took the title from Alex Pereira by unanimous decision at UFC 313 in March 2025. Pereira won it back with a first-round TKO at UFC 320 that October (Wikipedia). Ankalaev's last fight was a fifth-round TKO of Bogdan Guskov, a short-notice replacement for an injured Rountree, in Abu Dhabi on July 25 (Wikipedia).

Ulberg knocked out Prochazka in the first round at UFC 327 on April 11 to win the belt. He tore his ACL in that fight and has no return date (Wikipedia).

Du Plessis (24-3) is No. 2 at middleweight. He won the title from Sean Strickland in January 2024 and defended it against Israel Adesanya and Strickland again. He lost it to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August 2025, then came back with a unanimous decision over Kamaru Usman on July 18 (Wikipedia). Strickland is champion again after beating Chimaev by split decision in May (ESPN).

On The Sias du Plessis Show, uploaded on October 18, Du Plessis put the middleweight belt first (MiddleEasy). "I want to get my belt back and eventually go up to 205," he said, as quoted by MMA Sucka. He gave no timeline for the move. He said he loses about 45 pounds, sometimes more, between his weight outside camp and fight day.

How they've done as bets

Du Plessis has won 9 of his 10 priced UFC fights, according to our page. Backing him at the closing price every time would have returned 6.83 units of profit. He's 7-0 as the favourite and 2-1 as the underdog, including a second-round TKO of Robert Whittaker at +275 in July 2023.

Ankalaev has also won 9 of his 10 priced UFC fights, up 1.93 units on his page. His only loss as a favourite came at −263 in the Pereira rematch, after he won the first fight as a +107 underdog. There are no odds on Ankalaev vs Du Plessis because there is no fight yet.

Our view

We think this matchup suits Ankalaev more than Du Plessis right now. Ankalaev is the top contender in a division whose champion is injured, and a big name keeps him busy. Du Plessis says the middleweight belt comes first. But a third Strickland fight is a tough sell, and Chimaev, the man who beat him, is ranked No. 1. That makes 205 a more real option for him than his words suggest.

Two middleweight champions who moved up show both outcomes. Adesanya, then the reigning champion, lost a unanimous decision to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 in 2021 (CBS Sports). Pereira, a former champion by then, stopped Prochazka in the second round at UFC 295 in 2023 to win the vacant title (ESPN). Whittaker, another former middleweight champion, is now No. 11 at light heavyweight.