Dricus Du Plessis has his next assignment, and it is one he says has been building for a while. The former UFC middleweight champion is set to meet former welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman in a middleweight main event on July 18 in Oklahoma City, a matchup the UFC confirmed for Fight Night at Paycom Center. For Du Plessis, the booking arrives after his title loss to Khamzat Chimaev in August 2025, which ended a 9-0 UFC run and paused a championship stretch that included two middleweight title defenses between 2024 and 2025.
Dricus Du Plessis says Kamaru Usman did not want to sign contract for UFC fight
Speaking to “Fight Forecast” Du Plessis made clear this is not a late change in direction. “Yeah, I mean, you think you have been waiting. I have been waiting. We have been talking about this fight for a long time. He mentioned the fight way before we actually made it, and I said, “Well, cool. I will take that fight.”” His comments line up with the timing around the announcement, which came after weeks of speculation about what would be next for both former champions.
Du Plessis also addressed the obvious question around contender order at 185 pounds. “People ask, “Why do you not fight Imavov?” I do not mind that fight either. I want to fight somebody who gets me back to the title.” He then explained why Usman, even at 39 and coming up from welterweight, still fits that goal: “Kamaru Usman, yes, he is a bit older, but then you look at what Gaethje just did and that throws that argument out the window immediately.”
“Kamaru Usman is arguably one of the best welterweights ever, right there with Georges St-Pierre if you look at title defenses and what he achieved. He started his career at middleweight, he has a win over Sean Strickland, and he had that very close fight with Khamzat Chimaev. That is why I wanted this fight.”
Du Plessis framed the matchup as a chance to answer the biggest question left after his loss to Chimaev. “What does it mean for me to go out there and beat another striker? I have done that many times. I defended my belt against strikers. I have beaten the best, including Strickland twice at middleweight. So why go out there and fight another striker? People are going to say, “Yeah, okay, we know he can strike. But what about the wrestling and grappling?” because of my last fight.”
He followed that by saying, “I want to go out there and prove what I have done. I want to go figure this out and show the problem that the middleweights now have on their hands, because now I am more complete. I was already a complete fighter, but now I am complete in all areas. I cannot wait to go show that.”
He also gave an update on his condition after an earlier setback. “It has been a long wait. I was supposed to fight in April, then I got the injury. But man, I think that was all for a reason, because the fire in me to get back in there is like never before. I am feeling great. Camp is going great.” That return angle is central to the fight, because this will be Du Plessis’ first appearance since losing the belt, while Usman enters after a unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley in June 2025 and a full year away from competition.
“I know he did not want to sign the contract. I know that for a fact. I spoke to the UFC and they said, “We finally convinced him to sign.” If you need convincing to sign, that is a problem. But I cannot blame him. I would also not want to fight me right now. It would be the smart move not to sign the fight, but now it is on. Let us go.” That claim adds another layer to a fight that already carries ranking and title implications, with Du Plessis chasing a fast route back into the middleweight title mix and Usman trying to turn a jump to 185 into one more run at UFC gold.
