Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis says getting Kamaru Usman to sign for their upcoming clash at UFC Oklahoma City was not as straightforward as many fans might think.
The UFC recently made the middleweight main event between Du Plessis and Usman official for July 18, ending weeks of speculation about the matchup. Before the announcement, Du Plessis hinted that a certain individual was holding up negotiations. Now, the South African has revealed he was referring to Usman.
Speaking during an interview with Fight Forecast, Dricus Du Plessis claimed the former welterweight champion was hesitant to put pen to paper.
“He didn’t want to sign the contract, I know that for a fact,” Du Plessis said. “I spoke to the UFC and they said, ‘We finally convinced him to sign.’ If you need convincing to sign, that’s a problem, but I can’t blame him. I would also not want to fight me right now. It would be the smart move not to sign the fight, but let’s go.”
Despite the comments, Du Plessis made it clear that he respects Usman’s accomplishments. The Nigerian-American remains one of the most accomplished welterweights in UFC history, winning his first 15 UFC fights, capturing the title in 2019 and defending it five times.
Although Usman is now 39 and moving back to middleweight, Du Plessis believes he remains one of the toughest tests available in the division.
“You think you’ve been waiting? I’ve been waiting,” Du Plessis said. “We’ve been talking about the fight for a long time. He mentioned the fight way before we made it official, and I said, ‘Well, cool. I’ll take that fight.’
“People ask, ‘Why don’t you fight Nassourdine Imavov?’ I don’t mind that fight either. I want to fight somebody who gets me back to my title. Kamaru Usman, yes, he’s a bit older, but look at what Justin Gaethje just did. That throws that argument out the window immediately.”
The former champion explained that this fight is about more than just returning to the win column. After losing his middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev, many critics questioned his wrestling and grappling. Du Plessis wants to answer those questions against one of the most accomplished wrestlers the UFC has ever seen.
“Kamaru Usman is arguably the best welterweight ever alongside Georges St-Pierre if you look at title defenses and everything he achieved,” Du Plessis said.
“He has a win over Sean Strickland. He had a very close fight with Khamzat Chimaev, and that’s why I wanted this fight. What does it mean for me to go out there and beat another striker? I’ve done that many times. I’ve defended my belt against strikers. I’ve beaten the best, which is Sean Strickland, twice.”
“People are going to say, ‘OK, we know you can strike, but what about the wrestling and grappling?’ because of my last fight. I want to go out there and prove what I’ve worked on. I want to show the middleweight division that I’m more complete than ever. I was already a complete fighter, but now I’m complete in every area, and I can’t wait to show that.”
Before suffering the first UFC defeat of his career against Chimaev, Dricus Du Plessis built an impressive résumé that included victories over Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya. Those wins established him as one of the division’s elite fighters and helped him capture UFC gold.
Now, after spending months on the sidelines due to injury, Du Plessis says his hunger to compete has never been stronger.
“It’s been long,” Du Plessis said. “I was supposed to fight in April and then got injured. I think that happened for a reason because the fire in me to get back in there is stronger than ever.”
“I’m feeling great. Camp is going great. I know he didn’t want to sign the contract. I know that for a fact. The UFC told me, ‘We finally convinced him to sign.’ If you need convincing to sign, that’s a problem. But I can’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to fight me right now either. It would be the smart move not to sign, but let’s go.”
As UFC Oklahoma City approaches, Dricus Du Plessis sees the fight as the perfect opportunity to silence doubters, prove his growth as a complete mixed martial artist and begin his journey back to the middleweight title.
