Dricus Du Plessis Shuts Down Caio Borralho Fight Talk After Surprise South Africa Visit

• Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis was confronted by a Brazilian contender after repeated fight call-outs were ignored
• The rival escalated the situation by flying into Johannesburg and openly searching for Du Plessis, taking their online tension into the real world
• Du Plessis eventually hit back with a firm response, standing his ground and drawing strong reactions from fans

South African MMA star Dricus du Plessis has dismissed growing calls for a comeback fight against Brazilian contender Caio Borralho after a tense online exchange spilt into real life in Johannesburg.

The former UFC middleweight champion has been out of action since losing his title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August 2025.

In the aftermath, Du Plessis’s coach, Morne Visser, confirmed that the fighter would not be rushing into another bout. Instead, the team is concentrating on refining the skills that Chimaev exploited, particularly grappling and takedown defence.

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Now, Borralho has taken matters into his own hands by travelling to South Africa in a bold attempt to secure a fight.

Caio Borralho travels to South Africa for Dricus

Borralho, who is currently ranked among the top middleweight contenders, posted a video from Johannesburg on Monday, 27 April 2026, revealing that he had flown in to confront du Plessis directly.

In the clip shared on social media, the Brazilian questioned du Plessis’ silence after multiple call-outs and mocked his absence while standing near a local landmark. He made it clear that he wanted a response and a fight. The move quickly gained attention among MMA fans, with many seeing it as a calculated attempt to pressure du Plessis into accepting a bout.

“4 callouts, no answer… so I came to Johannesburg myself,” he captioned the post.

“WHERE ARE YOU, BOY? @dricusduplessis.”

“Where is Dricus? Do you know where he is? No words from him,” he says.

“I was in Brazil, and now I’m here looking for Dricus. I’m in Johannesburg, South Africa, and I just cannot find him. No response.”

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In the clip, Borralho talks to a statue about his pursuit of a fight with South Africa’s biggest MMA star.

Watch the reel below on Instagram:

Dricus du Plessis offers gym sparring

Du Plessis responded publicly but showed little interest in making the fight official. Instead, he invited Borralho to settle their differences in a more informal setting.

The South African suggested that Borralho visit his gym for a sparring session, even proposing that it could be filmed. However, Borralho rejected the idea and insisted on a sanctioned UFC fight. Du Plessis doubled down on his stance, questioning whether Borralho had earned the right to face him and reiterating his invitation to meet in person at his training base.

He also revealed that the gym was only a short drive away and challenged Borralho to show up, setting a specific time for the proposed sparring session. At this stage, it remains unclear whether the two fighters will meet, but the situation has added fresh intrigue to the UFC middleweight division.

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“Come to @cit_performanceinstitute, then we spar. We can record it if you want,” the ex-185lb titleholder wrote.

Borralho seemingly turned down the sparring offer by pushing for a real fight in the UFC.

“Stop being a little kid, just sign the contract, bro,” he replied.

Du Plessis shut down talk of a real fight, while once again offering Borralho the chance to face him during his trip to South Africa.

“What contract?” DDP shot back.

“You actually think you’re in the conversation?

“Come to the gym, I’m like a 30 [minute] drive from you, let’s see if you’re at least man enough to show up, we start at 9 AM Friday.”

As seen in the post on X below:

Dricus Du Plessis strikes a deal with an EPL club

Briefly News previously reported that South African MMA fighter Dricus du Plessis sealed a landmark deal with an English Premier League (EPL) club that is reportedly worth millions of rands.

The Welkom-born fighter has secured a major deal with Newcastle United through his Cape Town-based brand, Knox.

Source: Briefly News