Daniel Cormier doubts Dricus du Plessis gets next middleweight title shot due to history with Sean Strickland

It’s rare that two wins over someone would hurt your chances of getting a UFC title shot, but Daniel Cormier feels that’s the situation Dricus du Plessis finds himself in.

Du Plessis first defeated Strickland in early 2024 to capture the middleweight gold. It was a highly competitive fight that went the distance, and “Stillknocks” edged it out via split decision. The rematch at UFC 312 was far more one-sided with du Plessis taking the clear unanimous decision win.

Strickland is now a two-time UFC Middleweight Champion after pulling off an upset over Khamzat Chimaev back in May. Meanwhile, du Plessis bounced back after being swept by Chimaev to turn in one of his best performances to date against Kamaru Usman at UFC OKC.

Cormier was on commentary for “Stillknocks'” big win over Usman, and he stood inside the Paycom Center for a post-fight reaction video. The UFC Hall of Famer explained why he doesn’t believe the UFC brass will give du Plessis a third fight against Strickland at this time (h/t MMAJunkie).

“When it comes to Sean Strickland and DDP fighting for a third time, I honestly believe that while me as a purist, as a person that loves watching the two best in the division fight for the championship, the two guys that seem to be the people that should be fighting for the belt, the two guys that have a history, I believe that DDP being 2-0 over the champ might actually be a bad thing,” Cormier said. “Why? Because I believe that 2-0 with the last fight being so dominant, people almost don’t want to go and watch another fight.

“Because the reality is this: No matter what Strickland had done, if DDP was still the champion, I don’t think that people would have ever wanted to see him fight for the belt again. So do we want to see them fight for a third time? I do because I’m a purist. But what does the general fan think when they have seen this act twice, and it got worse the second time by DDP? I don’t know. (Nassourdine) Imavov has earned, though. He has earned that opportunity. Let’s see if he gets that opportunity to fight for that belt.”

As Cormier mentioned, Nassourdine Imavov is a strong candidate for Strickland’s next opponent. He last competed back in Sept. 2025 at UFC Paris. Imavov earned a unanimous decision win over Caio Borralho. “DDP” recently grilled “The Sniper” over not taking a fight since that time, possibly angling for a title elimination against the No. 3-ranked 185-pounder.

Do you think Daniel Cormier has a point about Dricus du Plessis being unlikely to face Sean Strickland next? Join in on the conversation in the comments below.