Dricus du Plessis open to Roberto Soldic trilogy following UFC debut

Dricus du Plessis has opened the door to a potential middleweight trilogy with Roberto Soldic following the Croatian's successful UFC debut. Soldic defeated Kalinn Williams by unanimous decision at UFC 332 on October 3 in Salt Lake City, earning his promotional debut at welterweight after a successful run in ONE Championship.

Du Plessis and Soldic split a pair of KSW bouts in 2018, each securing a finish. Soldic won the welterweight title in April 2018 via second-round TKO, then Soldic reclaimed the belt nearly six months later by knocking out du Plessis in the third round. The South African later ascended to the UFC middleweight ranks, where he has competed exclusively.

When discussing Soldic's arrival in the UFC, du Plessis expressed enthusiasm for a rubber match. "It's great that Soldic joined the UFC," du Plessis said during an interview with Fight Forecast. "For a long time, many people considered him the best fighter outside the UFC. But at welterweight, we're 1-1. Being the best outside the UFC is not the same as being the best in the UFC—we've seen that many times. It's on a different level. A super fight could happen down the line. If he gets a couple of wins and we move to a middleweight fight, I think that would be amazing."

Soldic would need to move up a weight class to face du Plessis in the Octagon, a shift both fighters would need to navigate for the rivalry to resume at its highest platform.