"Stop giving me hope" - Caio Borralho, Jon Anik, Michael Bisping and fans erupt as Dricus du Plessis teases fight news, sparks hope with cryptic post

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis recently weighed in on his next fight. 'Stillknocks' went on to deny the rumors of a supposed injury that stalled his return at UFC 317.

Du Plessis was expected to fight Khamzat Chimaev at the pay-per-view. Although the bout was not officially announced, both fighters hinted at potentially facing each other for their next outing.

However, rumors began circulating that du Plessis had suffered an injury in training and was forced to withdraw from the event. It was also reported that Caio Borralho would be the replacement fighter for the South African.

Recently, the middleweight champion shut down all the rumors. Du Plessis denied pulling out due to an injury and claimed that the UFC has a fixed date and opponent for his next fight. On Instagram, the champion had this to say:

"Okay, so everyone had their opinions and rumors, and stories about a shin break and injuries, etc. I found it all very entertaining, unfortunately none of it is true myself and @ufc already discussed a fight date and opponent, the June fight was never signed I did not pull out of any fight, I am the champion I know when I fight you as a contender just show up when we tell you to. Fight announcement coming soon stay tuned."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below:

Borralho, UFC commentator Jon Anik, and former middleweight champion Michael Bisping, alongside fans, took to the comments section to share their reactions, with 'The Natural' writing:

"Brooo why u do that to me??? Stop giving me hope like this."

Others commented:

"Champ."

"Happy to hear."

"You vs. Khamzat & Islam [Makhachev] vs. [Ilia] Topuria and [International Fight Week] is saved."

"One thing you broke was my heart haha."

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fan comments [Screenshots courtesy: @dricusduplessis on Instagram]

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Daniel Cormier reacts to Dricus du Plessis' reported withdrawal

Dricus du Plessis was criticized after his alleged injury withdrawal from UFC 317. No.3-ranked Khamzat Chimaev, who was expected to fight for the title after beating Robert Whittaker, was then rumored to face Caio Borralho for an interim title fight.

Former UFC dual-weight champion Daniel Cormier reacted to the Chimaev vs. Borralho rumors, claiming it is an "unjust" fight. On his YouTube channel, he had this to say:

"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."

He continued:

"This champion deserves the ability to deal with his injury. And sure, Khamzat's frustrated. Now, I think he has to wait."

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments below (5:15):