Dricus du Plessis defended by Daniel Cormier, calls rumored interim title plans "unjust"

Dricus du Plessis returned to the octagon in February as he defeated Sean Strickland via unanimous decision at UFC 312 to defend his middleweight title for the second time. While he appeared in line to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 317 during International Fight Week this summer, that bout is seemingly no longer on the table after 'Stillknocks' suffered an injury.

There have been reports that 'Borz' could instead face Caio Borralho for the interim middleweight title. Daniel Cormier recently weighed in on the rumors that there could be a second title in the division, defending du Plessis. Speaking on his self-titled YouTube channel, the UFC Hall of Famer said:

"Had this happened ten years ago, Dricus du Plessis gets hurt after fighting Sean Strickland only a couple of months ago... He fought him in February - he gets hurt, nobody would have said anything. There would not have been a whisper about an interim championship but because interim titles are easier to access today than they were before, everybody calls for it."

Cormier added:

"I got a problem with it, though. There's no reason for an interim championship fight. I'm just going to put it out there. If there's an interim title fight, being that Dricus just fought very recently, it would be, in my opinion, one of the most unjust interim titles made in recent UFC history... Dricus fought two months ago. Two months ago. So, to make an interim title, I think is just unfair."

Check out Daniel Cormier's full comments on Dricus du Plessis below (1:29):

Cormier added that du Plessis has been active, fighting five times over the past two years. It is unclear if the UFC plans to do an interim title bout as 'Stillknocks' recovers from his injury.

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How long will Dricus du Plessis be sidelined?

While reports surfaced that Dricus du Plessis is sidelined with an injury, there weren't many details about the extent of the injury or how long he will be sidelined. Caio Borralho recently revealed that he heard the middleweight champion suffered a broken shin that will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future.

MMA X account @realkevink shared the news, posting:

"🚨BIG NEWS🚨 Caio Borralho says he Heard Dricus du Plessis may have a broken shin from training low kicks and could be out for 7 Months 😳 “The Natural” mentions he doesn’t know for sure Caio mentions Chimaev Fight will only happen with Interim belt on the line Per @AgFight".

Check out the post from @realkevink below:

While du Plessis appeared in line to return this summer, his injury could keep him out until 2026 - if what Borralho heard is indeed true. The length of his absence could play a factor in whether or not the promotion decides to hold an interim middleweight title bout.