A potential middleweight bout between champion Dricus Du Plessis and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is reportedly in the negotiation stage and could take place in July. The source of this information is KevinK, though the report does not specify which organization is facilitating the talks or where the event might be held. If this matchup materializes, it raises questions about the timeline for top middleweight contender Caio Borralho, who has been awaiting a title shot. The post notes uncertainty about Borralho's next opponent should Du Plessis face Usman instead. Further details about contract terms or official confirmation remain unavailable.
Negotiations are reportedly underway for a middleweight title fight between champion Dricus Du Plessis and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, with a target date sometime in July, according to a report from KevinK. No organization or venue has been confirmed, and the matchup remains unverified at this stage.
Du Plessis, known as "Stillknocks," carries a 23-3-0 record and holds the middleweight title at 32 years old. The South African operates out of a switch stance and stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach. He is currently ranked seventh pound-for-pound and second in the middleweight division, and he lands an impressive 5.18 significant strikes per minute while also averaging 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a genuinely well-rounded threat.
Usman, nicknamed "The Nigerian Nightmare," brings a 21-4-0 record into any potential return. The 39-year-old American is best known for his dominant welterweight reign but is listed at middleweight for this reported matchup. He stands six feet tall with a 76-inch reach and has historically been one of the sport's most effective wrestlers, averaging 2.82 takedowns per 15 minutes across his career, with a striking accuracy of 52 percent.
Why it matters
- Du Plessis would be defending his title against a fighter moving up from welterweight, adding a cross-divisional dimension to the bout.
- Caio Borralho, ranked fourth at middleweight with an 18-2-0 record, has been positioned as a leading title contender, and a Du Plessis-Usman pairing would delay his shot with no clear alternative opponent named.
- Usman, ranked eighth at welterweight at age 39, would be stepping up a weight class, raising significant stylistic and competitive questions about the matchup's divisional implications.
