Magomed Ankalaev says Dricus du Plessis fight at 205 is possible as he targets December return

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev says a fight with former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at 205 pounds is being talked about as he looks for a return in December. He made the comments in a Russian-language interview with the BOSTANOV MMA YouTube channel published on Monday, October 19. Neither the UFC nor Du Plessis' team has confirmed the matchup, and no event, date or contract has been announced.

What Ankalaev said

Asked about his plans, Ankalaev said: "Right now we are planning to get a fight in December." He said attempts to find him an opponent had stalled. In his account, Paulo Costa "finds some reasons", while Alex Pereira had been weighing whether to stay at heavyweight or come back down and was therefore "moved aside".

He then brought up Du Plessis. "Right now we are waiting. There is some talk about Dricus du Plessis," Ankalaev said. Asked whether the South African wants to move up a division, he replied: "He wants to move up, and it's possible they will make a fight between us. That is the information we have for now."

Later in the interview he was asked how the matchup appealed to him. "He has been in tough fights, he has character. It would be a good fight for me, and I'm interested in it myself," Ankalaev said. He added that results for fighters moving up depend on who they are matched against. (Quotes translated from Russian by POP MMA from the original video; MiddleEasy carried a similar English translation.)

MiddleEasy, which reported the interview, stressed that Ankalaev described the bout as a possibility rather than a completed booking, and that he named no signed agreement, event or date.

Du Plessis wants his middleweight belt first

Du Plessis has spoken about 205 pounds himself, but as a later step. In an interview on The Sias du Plessis Show, reported by MMA Mania on October 19, he said: "Getting my belt back. I mean, that's for me. That's the biggest thing. I wanna get my belt back, and eventually go up to 205 and go test myself there. And I'm certain that I'll be a champion. I'm big enough for that division."

He also said he cuts about 45 pounds, "even more sometimes", from his walk-around weight to make the 185-pound limit. Du Plessis lost the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August 2025 and returned in July with a unanimous decision win over Kamaru Usman. He does not have a fight booked.

So far, Du Plessis has not publicly said anything about a fight with Ankalaev or a move up in weight before the end of 2026.

The light heavyweight picture

Carlos Ulberg holds the UFC light heavyweight title. He won it by knocking out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327 in April but tore the ACL in his right knee in that fight, and he has said he is aiming to defend it early in 2027. Ankalaev, who lost the title to Pereira in their rematch, returned to winning ways in July by beating Bogdan Guskov in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi. After that fight Ulberg called him a top contender and "one of the guys that will be up next", according to Sherdog.

With Ulberg out until next year, Ankalaev said he wants to stay active instead of waiting. Whether Du Plessis is willing to move up now, rather than chase the middleweight belt first, is the open question. POP MMA will update this story if the UFC or Du Plessis responds.