Dricus Du Plessis’ return to the Octagon is now official, with the former middleweight champion set to face Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City on July 18 at the Paycom Center. The bout will mark Du Plessis’ first appearance since losing the 185-pound title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August 2025, while Usman returns to the middleweight division looking to put himself right back into title contention.
Earlier this month, Du Plessis revealed that the matchup had been in the works for quite some time. According to the South African, he was originally scheduled to compete in April before an injury forced him out. He also claimed that the fight was delayed because Usman took time to sign the contract.
Speaking on the Fight Forecast channel, Du Plessis said, “We’ve been talking about the fight for a long time. I was supposed to fight in April, got the injury. Man, I think that was all for a reason because the fire in me to get back in there is like never before. I’m feeling great. Camp is going great.”
He further claimed that the UFC informed him they had finally convinced Usman to accept the fight after a lengthy delay. DDP added, “Now I know you didn’t wanna sign the contract. I know that for a fact. When I spoke to UFC, they said, ‘We’ve 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 wanna fight me right now. It would be the smart move not to sign this fight, but you know, let’s go.”
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Usman has now responded to those claims, insisting that he was never actually offered the fight in the first place. Speaking on a recent episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast, the former welterweight champion explained that his priority was securing a title fight against Islam Makhachev. However, negotiations involving Ilia Topuria ultimately derailed those plans.
He said, “I’ve just been ready to fight since February — well, I asked for a fight since then. And it was like, ‘Ah, we don’t know.’ We all know which fight that I wanted. I wanted that fight. And so I think there was just a lot of back-and-forth stuff being done, and now we kind of hear all the stories of potentially they were trying to make Ilia versus Islam and all of these things, and I wanted the Islam fight.”
While Usman pushed for a showdown with Makhachev, the opportunity never materialized. Instead, the Dagestani champion is now set to make the first defense of his welterweight title against Ian Garry in the main event of UFC 330 in Philadelphia on August 15. Usman then addressed Du Plessis’ claims directly, maintaining that the fight was discussed but never formally presented to him.
He explained, “So all of these things behind the scenes kind of dragged on. And then DDP was mentioned, not really offered, but mentioned, and I said, yeah, if that’s … I just need something that gets me to the title. I just want that. You’re not gonna give me the title, then give me something that gets me to the title. And so this wasn’t really offered. He was mentioned.”
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The former welterweight champion also revealed that he was willing to face Du Plessis at UFC 327 in Miami, but was told the South African would not be ready because of the injury that had already postponed his return. Usman added, “I said, Okay, let’s [fight Du Plessis] soon at [UFC 327 in] Miami, I even asked that. And then he was like, ‘Yeah, Miami’s too soon, he might not be ready.’ And so, it is what it is. So I thought the fight was off, it wasn’t gonna happen, and then there was, like, oh, then it’s potentially gonna happen.”
Usman wrapped up the conversation by making it clear that his dream of becoming a two-division UFC champion is still very much alive. At this stage of his career, he said his focus isn’t on a specific opponent but on taking whichever fight moves him closer to another title shot. Du Plessis, meanwhile, hasn’t competed since suffering the first title-fight loss of his UFC career against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago. The South African was comprehensively outperformed as Chimaev captured the middleweight championship, ending Du Plessis’ reign.
For Usman, the matchup represents a golden opportunity to reignite his championship aspirations at 185 pounds. The former welterweight king previously stepped up to middleweight on short notice to face Chimaev at UFC 294 and, despite the circumstances, delivered a highly competitive performance that earned widespread praise.
Usman also heads into the fight with renewed confidence after snapping a three-fight losing skid in his last outing. The former welterweight champion bounced back in emphatic fashion by defeating Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta in June 2025, reminding fans that he remains a legitimate threat despite being in the latter stages of his career. With a win over Du Plessis, Usman could put himself firmly back in the conversation for a middleweight title opportunity.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.