The UFC's middleweight division has long been known for dominant title reigns by the sport's biggest stars (Anderson Silva, Israel Adesanya) and a wealth of talented contenders who have each had a turn holding championship gold (Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, Robert Whittaker). When Adesanya regained the title in April 2023 by avenging his first knockout loss in MMA with a KO win over Alex Pereira, it looked as if an epic rivalry would define this era's then-stacked 185-pound division.
However, Pereira shuttered the idea of a trilogy fight and moved up to light heavyweight, where he claimed the championship and began a successful run that has cemented him as one of the biggest stars in the UFC. Meanwhile, Adesanya's second tenure as champion ended stunningly after five months, when he dropped the title to massive betting underdog Sean Strickland, starting a three-fight skid from which Adesanya has yet to recover.
Since 2024, Adesanya (0-2), Whittaker (2-1), Strickland (1-2), Paulo Costa (0-2) and Jared Cannonier (1-2) -- once considered the division's anchors as former champs and title contenders -- have a combined record of 4-9.
In 2025, the 185-pound division is almost unrecognizable compared to where it was in 2023, with fans on social media calling it shallow and one UFC champion, welterweight Belal Muhammad, questioning the level of competition. "I think 185 is probably the easiest weight class, besides [undefeated middleweight contender] Khamzat [Chimaev]," Muhammad recently told Barstool Chicago. "When you look at that main event, you're like, 'Bro, Strickland and [Dricus] Du Plessis suck.'"
The main event Muhammad was referring to happened this month at UFC 312, where Du Plessis retained the middleweight championship with a lopsided decision victory over Strickland. It was a rematch of the bout a year ago in which Du Plessis had taken away the title in a plodding matchup. And once again, after their second meeting, both fighters were heavily criticized for underwhelming technical prowess (Du Plessis) or underperforming on the grandest stage (Strickland).
Strickland's coach, Eric Nicksick, called his fighter's performance "uninspired." Former light heavyweight champion Jiří Procházka praised Du Plessis' pressure and aggression but also criticized the champion for a lack of technique and rhythm.
While the sport may not have seen a champion who is, according to UFC CEO Dana White, as "awkward and unorthodox" as Du Plessis, the champ continues to rack up wins, with 11 consecutive victories dating to 2018. Adesanya and Whittaker, both of whom have fallen to the South African during that run, have acknowledged the effectiveness of Du Plessis, even while being surprised by his ascent.
"He's just weird, man, he's like the best s--- fighter in the world," Adesanya told the "MMArcade" podcast. "He's so good that I can't even fault him for it."
Whittaker recalled thinking that Du Plessis was slow when they fought in 2023 -- until he got punched in the face and finished in the second round.
"It works," Whittaker said.
It may not always be pretty, but Du Plessis certainly has been effective. Might the skeptics be missing something by discounting the champ's run of success and focusing on his technical flaws?
"I think we overgeneralize the concept of technique, and Du Plessis is living proof that guys aren't as technical as they thought they were," MMA analyst Din Thomas told ESPN. "Everybody goes: 'Oh, I'm technical.' But if you really relied on your technique, you wouldn't allow DDP to get away with the things that he does."
Going forward, Du Plessis will have to continue proving himself in a middleweight division that seems to be shaking itself into form. February has spotlighted the 185-pounders with six championship or contender fights that helped give a clearer picture of the division's depth. Aside from Du Plessis retaining the belt, the month saw Nassourdine Imavov knock out Adesanya, Michael "Venom" Page slow down the hype train of Shara Magomedov, Cannonier come from behind to finish Gregory Rodrigues, and Anthony Hernandez win a decision over Brendan Allen.
"Honestly, I think the division is healthier than it's ever been," Thomas said. "We are starting to see the depth of the middleweight division. It's still not as deep as lightweight or [men's] bantamweight, but we are starting to see some healthy competition within the top 10 of the division."
The talent of the contenders vying for the title is just as important to the division's health as the champion. And that is something previous eras of the middleweight division haven't had.
While many gush over Silva's 2,457-day reign as middleweight champion in the 2000s, Chael Sonnen, who came within seconds of pulling off a massive upset over Silva in 2010, believes the division "The Spider" ruled over was at its weakest.
"If you look really close at Silva's run, it was at a time when the division was still forming and a lot of his opponents just weren't very good," Sonnen told ESPN, citing the likes of Patrick Cote and Travis Lutter as fighters who may not have been worthy to challenge Silva. "The division today is established. We have an undefeated blue-chip prospect in Bo Nickal ranked at No. 15, several former world champions [Adesanya, Whittaker, Strickland] floating around, a guy who almost everyone thinks is unbeatable [Chimaev] and a lot of worthy contenders [Imavov, Caio Borralho, Joe Pyfer]. It is a uniquely deep division that doesn't get the credit it deserves."
Perhaps the biggest reason for the criticism is because the man who has long been considered the uncrowned champion has yet to get his opportunity at UFC gold. Chimaev burst onto the scene in 2020 and tore through the competition at both middleweight and welterweight. However, health concerns have slowed his ascent, with Chimaev competing only twice since September 2022. For many, it isn't a matter of "if" but "when" Chimaev gets a title shot. And until then, Du Plessis has been widely considered a seat warmer for the fighter from Chechnya, Russia.
"I don't think the rightful guy is champion," Sonnen said. "I don't know how sincere people are when they say they don't love the middleweight division. I think they just aren't sold on DDP, while Chimaev has the skill and should have already been the champion if it weren't for injuries.
"DDP and Strickland were simply at the right place at the right time to become champion."
Former middleweight champion Michael Bisping can relate to Du Plessis and the criticism he receives as a flawed titleholder. The British fighter shocked the world when he stopped Rockhold on short notice as a significant betting underdog to win the championship at UFC 199 in 2016 -- a time when, like today, the division was amid a turnover. Bisping had one successful defense before dropping the title to former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
But unlike his own short tenure as champion -- when a retired welterweight leapfrogged the middleweight contenders to challenge him for the title -- Bisping sees sublime depth in today's 185-pound division.
"Divisions move along, new blood always comes through and there's the next star waiting to be discovered," Bisping told ESPN. "Let's be real: Adesanya and Whittaker are future hall of famers and are still top-10 fighters. They are not easy to beat. And now you have the rise of Caio Borralho, Nassourdine Imavov, Chimaev and Brendan Allen in the top 10. This division is loaded compared to previous eras."
Although Adesanya and Whittaker are coming off of losses, their credentials are undeniable. Adesanya's eight title fight wins and 12-fight winning streak at 185 pounds from 2018 to 2022 both rank second all time in the middleweight division. Whittaker's eight-fight winning streak from 2014 to 2019 is tied for fifth all time. Both Borralho and Hernandez are riding seven-fight winning streaks, also in the all-time top-10 at middleweight.
MMA analyst and former UFC welterweight Alan Jouban also believes the criticism of the middleweight division is unjust, just like the criticism of its champion. "People are acting like this is the light heavyweight division after Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier moved up to heavyweight and the title played hot potato," he said.
Jouban is referring to 2020 to 2023, when the 205-pound division saw four champions in five years, with only Jan Blachowicz having a successful title defense, albeit against a smaller Adesanya. "Nobody stood out," he continued. "That division was shallow until Alex Pereira steadied it."
Jouban also said that even though there's an expectation for Chimaev to become champion, Du Plessis has proved to be a worthy champion atop a deep division. "I don't see another guy in the division who has a championship mindset like Du Plessis," he said. "Some people just get s--- done. They always say there's a guy that's bigger, faster and stronger. But what if he's that guy? What if he's the bigger, faster, stronger guy in the division who always finds a way to win? I think the thing that's driving the train is that he's just a bigger, badder dude who weaponizes his cardio and has a stronger mindset than just about everyone in the division."
A look at his numbers reveals that Du Plessis' ability to get the job done puts him on par with the division's all-time greats. His nine-fight winning streak in the UFC ties him with one former champion, Weidman, and leaves him behind only two others, Silva (13) and Adesanya (12), for longest in the division's history. His three title fight wins are tied for fourth most ever in the division, behind Silva (11), Adesanya (8) and Weidman (4). Criticism about his fighting style aside, it's clear Du Plessis knows how to win and nobody has been able to figure out how to stop him.
While he may not be a box-office attraction such as Adesanya and Silva, Du Plessis continues to prove himself. However, his lack of star power has led some to call the division he rules over weak when that is far from the reality of the current state of the 185-pound division.
"The reality is that the people haven't come onboard with DDP as champion, and when you have a champion that isn't the guy you want, people will bring down the entire division and take away from his accomplishments," said Sonnen. "You can't discredit the division as weak because you don't like the champion. If Khamzat Chimaev becomes world champion, I bet that there won't be talk about this being an easy division anymore. And that's not fair."