Dricus du Plessis's coach says he turned down a UFC light heavyweight tournament

Dricus du Plessis's coach says the UFC pitched the former middleweight champion a one-night, four-man light heavyweight tournament this month, and the team turned it down to keep chasing a 185-pound title shot first.

Head coach Morne Visser described the offer during an October 20 appearance on the Fight Forecast podcast, reported by Yahoo Sports, saying the UFC approached him about three weeks earlier. The proposed format would have put du Plessis in a pool with former champion Jiri Prochazka, top-ranked contender Magomed Ankalaev and unbeaten Navajo Stirling, with all four fighting on the same card and the two winners then meeting each other. The winner of that bout would have earned a shot at injured light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg, according to Visser's account, independently reported by MiddleEasy.

Visser said he turned the offer down because du Plessis needs more time to adjust to the heavier weight class before competing there. "It took me a year to get Dricus from welterweight to middleweight," Visser said, adding that adding pounds is simple but building the power to compete at light heavyweight is not, and his team prefers to make that transition gradually rather than on a one-night deadline.

Du Plessis is the No. 2-ranked middleweight contender, according to the UFC's own rankings, behind Khamzat Chimaev. Du Plessis lost his middleweight title to Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago on August 16, 2025. Chimaev then lost the belt to Sean Strickland, the current champion, at UFC 328 in May 2026. Visser said du Plessis wants to work back to a title opportunity against Strickland and defend it once before any move to 205 pounds.

A light heavyweight run would have to wait regardless of du Plessis's preference. Ulberg has not fought since tearing his ACL during his first-round knockout of Prochazka at UFC 327 in April, and the champion has said he hopes to return early next year, according to ESPN. Visser's account has not been confirmed by the UFC, and the promotion has not publicly announced any tournament plans for the division.

Visser also said du Plessis is targeting a competitive return in late February or March of 2027, after an extended break that has included his honeymoon.