According to insider KevinK, a middleweight title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman is currently in the negotiation stage and could take place in July. This potential matchup emerges amid Du Plessis's ongoing social media exchange with Caio Borralho, who traveled to South Africa to call out the champion. If the Usman fight materializes, it raises questions about Borralho's immediate future and next opponent. Usman would be moving up from welterweight to challenge for the middleweight title.
Sources close to the UFC indicate that middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former welterweight king Kamaru Usman are in early negotiations for a title fight that could land in July, though nothing has been officially confirmed.
Du Plessis, ranked seventh pound-for-pound and carrying a 23-3 record, has established himself as one of the most active and dangerous champions in the middleweight division. The 32-year-old South African fights out of a switch stance and stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach. He lands an impressive 5.18 significant strikes per minute and averages 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes, showcasing the well-rounded game that earned him the belt.
Usman, 39, would be moving up a weight class if this fight materializes, leaving behind the welterweight division where he currently sits ranked eighth. The Nigerian Nightmare holds a 21-4 record and brings sharp, precise striking to the table, landing 4.36 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy — among the better striking efficiency figures in his generation. He shares Du Plessis's 76-inch reach and also fights from a switch stance, setting up an intriguing technical contrast at the championship level.
The report from insider KevinK also adds a layer of complexity to the middleweight landscape. Du Plessis has been engaged in a public back-and-forth with Caio Borralho, who recently traveled to South Africa to call out the champion directly. Should the Usman fight come together, Borralho's path to a title shot would be temporarily rerouted.
Why it matters
- A Usman victory would make him a two-division champion and rewrite his late-career legacy
- Borralho, who has been loudly pursuing Du Plessis, would need a new opponent if this bout is confirmed
- Both fighters share identical reach and a switch stance, making the stylistic matchup unusually symmetrical
- The July timeline, if accurate, would give the middleweight division clarity heading into the second half of 2026
