Dricus du Plessis believes the road to his UFC Oklahoma City main event against Kamaru Usman took longer than expected because his opponent was hesitant to finalize the fight.
The former UFC middleweight champion is set to meet Usman on July 18, and he recently shared his side of the negotiations while discussing how the matchup finally became official.
Du Plessis says Usman was reluctant to sign
Before the UFC officially announced the bout, du Plessis hinted that someone was holding up the process. He later confirmed he was referring to the former welterweight champion.
“He didn’t 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’s a problem, but I can’t blame him, I would also not want to fight me right now.”
Former champion still viewed as a major test
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman claims that Dricus du Plessis was discussed as a potential opponent, although the UFC never officially offered him the matchup before making it public.
Despite questioning how long the negotiations took, du Plessis made it clear he still considers Usman one of the toughest names he could face.
The South African is looking to rebound after losing his middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. He believes facing a decorated wrestler like Usman gives him the opportunity to answer questions that surfaced after that defeat.
“Kamaru Usman, yes, he’s a bit older, but now you look at what Gaethje just did, so that throws that argument out the window immediately.”
Focused on proving his all-around game
Du Plessis also explained why Usman stood out as the opponent he wanted most. He believes defeating a former champion known for elite wrestling would strengthen his case for another title opportunity.
“Kamaru Usman is arguably the best welterweight ever alongside with Georges St-Pierre if you go on title defenses and all that.”
“He has a win over Sean Strickland, he had that very close fight with Khamzat Chimaev and that’s why I wanted this fight.”
After spending nearly a year on the sidelines, du Plessis is eager to compete again after an injury forced him out of an earlier return. He believes the layoff made him an even better fighter.
“I want to go out there and prove what I’ve done… show the problem that the middleweights have on their hands now because now I am more complete.”