The middleweight division doesn’t need to worry anymore. The fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev will happen soon enough. But wasn’t the middleweight champion reportedly injured? Well, his coach, Morne Visser, dropped some huge hints about that. And that’s what we’ll see in today’s episode of MMA News Roundup.
After that, we’ll move on to the welterweight division and see what the Fighting Nerds are trending for today. And finally, we’ll talk about the latest trim of the UFC’s active roster. So without any further ado, let’s get right into it.
Coach reveals the reality of Dricus Du Plessis’ injuries
During his recent appearance on Submission Radio, Visser weighed in on the rumors that claimed Dricus Du Plessis was injured and wouldn’t be able to fight against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 317. But the reality was completely different. The coach said, “It’s obviously, it was a bit of a joke because we’ve been talking to the UFC, and myself and Dricus and the UFC has been on the same page about this whole thing, from the word go. We haven’t signed a contract. And so the fight was never confirmed.”
But what about the injuries? Well, they were just rumors as well. Vissers confirmed, “And no injuries, man. That’s bulls—! We’re fighting Khamzat at… We’re actually waiting for the contract. So, it’s gonna be soon. It’s definitely not gonna be International Fight Week. They’ve got something else planned for that. But we’re waiting for the contract. So that’s a done deal.”
BREAKING NEWS: Coach Morne Visser CONFRIMS @dricusduplessis’ injury rumours were complete “bullshit”, fight was never scheduled to take place at #UFC317 and Khamzat fight STILL ON!
FULL INTERVIEW OUT NOW
: https://t.co/rMn3Kb26CR pic.twitter.com/W3iOed82hB
— Submission Radio (@SubmissionRadio) April 24, 2025
Of course, Caio Borralho must be heartbroken with the news. After all, he was almost slated to fight against ‘Borz’ for the interim title. He was making all the noise and posting relentlessly on social media. But now, he and the Fighting Nerds have to focus on Carlos Prates’ fight.
Caio Borralho compares Carlos Prates with Snoop Dogg
Carlos Prates is on the road to fight Ian Garry at UFC on ESPN 66. And his teammate, Caio Borralho, has come forth with some crazy comparison as ‘The Nightmare’ successfully cut his weight to enter UFC Kansas City as a welterweight. Taking to Instagram, ‘The Natural’ shared a cascade of images, showing the weight-cutting process for Prates.
In the caption, Borralho typed in, “Weight cut done! Carlos makes everything look easy! The energy is always high as Snoop Dog . Amazing work by our nutritionist [Renan Martins]. Two more days and he gets it done .” The energy seemed high indeed, with the Fighting Nerds eyeing a victory on Saturday night.
Now, let’s take a look at the UFC’s active roster. After Molly McCann announced her retirement following the events of UFC London, reports came in about the UFC cutting down 4 more fighters.
Dana White brutally cut down four fighters from the UFC roster
On 23 April 2025, Borrachinha Depot revealed that Dana White has now let three of its fighters go. The tweet read, “Abdul Razak Alhassan, Antonina Shevchenko, and Molly McCann all removed from the UFC active roster.” And now, the famed MMA reporter, Alexander Behunin, via MMA Mania, claimed that four more fighters were removed from the roster. The names included Lucas Alexander, Caolan Loughran, Pedro Falcao, and Cortavious Romious.
Alexander exited the UFC with a 2-fight losing streak. As per reports, he was hospitalized after UFC Saudi Arabia. The reason? It was apparently because of fresh paint fumes in the locker room where he was warming up. But Loughran got cut even though he won his last bout. Romious arguably lost his job because he missed weight at UFC Vegas 105, where he lost the bout by KO. And Falcao had a similar story that ended with a loss at UFC Vegas 105.
MMA: UFC Fight Night-Johnson vs Reis, Apr 15, 2017 Kansas City, MO, USA UFC President Dana White following the Demetrious Johnson not pictured and Wilson Reis not pictured fight during UFC Fight Night at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports, 15.04.2017 21:15:30, 10015017, UFC Fight Night, Wilson Reis, Demetrious Johnson, Sprint Center, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRonxChenoyx 10015017
When do you think we will get to see Du Plessis vs. Chimaev? Do you think ‘The Nightmare’ can secure a win at UFC Kansas City? What are your thoughts on UFC removing fighters from its active roster? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post MMA News Roundup: Dricus Du Plessis’ Coach Releases Statement on Injury, Snoop Dogg Comparison for Carlos Prates, Dana White Cuts 4 Fighters appeared first on EssentiallySports.