Surging middleweight contender sends Dricus du Plessis an ominous warning following UFC 312: “Mark my words”

Dricus du Plessis cemented himself as the rightful king of the middleweight division after dominating Sean Strickland at UFC 312. The South African secured a unanimous decision win to defeat 'Tarzan' for a second time, having won the 185-pound title against the California native at UFC 297 in 2024.

'Stillknocks' is now 9-0 inside the octagon, and at 31 years old, he still has many years to extend his unbeaten record in the UFC.

Following his second successful title defense, du Plessis was called out by surging middleweight contender Caio Borralho. The Brazilian is currently ranked No.6 in the division, and holds a 7-0 record inside the octagon.

Borralho is one of the division's most promising new contenders, with his previous win against former title challenger Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 96. 'The Natural' took to X after the middleweight champion retained his title against Strickland and wrote:

"Congrats to @dricusduplessis BUT I CAN AND I WILL BEAT YOU! Mark my words."

Check out Caio Borralho's message to Dricus du Plessis below:

---

Dricus du Plessis discusses Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev fights in the wake of UFC 312

Following his victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 312, Dricus du Plessis called out Alex Pereira. 'Poatan' featured in the title challenger's corner, with the South African staring him down from across the octagon during his interview with Daniel Cormier after retaining the title.

But Khamzat Chimaev's title contendership is without question, and Du Plessis has confirmed that before a potential light heavyweight clash with Pereira, he will face 'Borz' at 185 pounds.

'Stillknocks' was interviewed by mainevent following the pay-per-view event, where he discussed both his callout of Pereira and his probable clash with Chimaev. He said:

"You have to keep your options open. Of course I want to fight Alex Pereira. He has a fight lined up, I have a fight. This is setting it up. I always said I want to defend my belt at least three times, and if there's no doubt that I've cleaned out this division then we can talk about me going up [to light heavyweight]. I just want him to know, I'm ready."

He continued:

"No, I'm not running from Khamzat. That is the next fight I want. I think me and Khamzat will be bigger right now than me and Alex Pereira."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments below (5:15):