Gregory Rodrigues Calls Out Dricus Du Plessis After UFC Fight Night 285 Win
- Gregory Rodrigues publicly called out South African fighter Dricus Du Plessis after his unanimous decision win at UFC Fight Night 285 in Sacramento
- Rodrigues is riding a four-fight winning streak, with three of those bouts earning Fight Night bonuses
- Du Plessis is coming off a win over Kamaru Usman following his 2025 championship loss to Khamzat Chimaev
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Brazilian middleweight contender Gregory Rodrigues has set his sights on former UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, issuing a direct callout after his performance at UFC Fight Night 285 in Sacramento on Saturday, 23 August 2026.
Rodrigues improved his professional record to 20-6 (MMA) and 11-3 in the UFC following a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Hernandez, who fell to 15-4 overall. The Brazilian wasted no time using his post-fight microphone moment to target the South African.
"Dricus Du Plessis, where are you? I want you. Let's go. No. 1 contender to fight for the belt," Rodrigues declared inside the cage.
Rodrigues doubles down at Press Conference
The callout did not end there. Speaking at the UFC Fight Night 285 post-fight press conference, Rodrigues maintained that a bout with Du Plessis was the most logical next step in the 185-pound division.
"Dricus Du Plessis, that fight makes a lot of sense for my next battle," he said.
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"I will talk to managers and the UFC and see what can happen."
Rodrigues is currently on a four-fight winning streak, a run that has yielded three Fight Night bonuses, two Performance of the Night awards and one Fight of the Night recognition. He believes his display against the hard-nosed Hernandez, in front of a crowd that was largely against him, reinforced his legitimacy as a genuine title threat.
"That was amazing. I think I can't ask for more," Rodrigues said.
"That was a battle. Hernandez is a tough guy, and to fight with the crowd against me and against a tough guy, I think I proved (myself), and I put my name high in the division, and I'm very close to my goal to be a champion in my division."
Where Du Plessis stands
Du Plessis returned to winning ways last month, defeating former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in Oklahoma City. That victory came after the South African lost the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev in 2025. Whether Du Plessis or the UFC will respond to Rodrigues's challenge remains to be seen.
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Source: Briefly News
