According to insider KevinK, a fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman is in the negotiation stages and could potentially take place in July. The report raises questions about what this means for Caio Borralho's fighting plans. Details about the potential matchup remain limited at this stage.
Early reports suggest that middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman are in negotiations for a potential bout this July, though the matchup has not been officially confirmed. The report, attributed to insider KevinK, remains unverified at this stage.
Du Plessis, 32, carries a 23-3-0 record and holds the number-two ranking in the middleweight division, also sitting seventh in the pound-for-pound standings. The South African switch-hitter out of Team CIT is one of the division's most active and aggressive fighters, landing 5.18 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy while also threatening consistently on the ground with 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Usman, 39, enters the conversation with a 21-4-0 record and is currently ranked eighth at welterweight. The Nigerian Nightmare, now fighting out of Kill Cliff FC, has long been regarded as one of the sport's elite competitors. Fighting out of a switch stance, he lands 4.36 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy and remains one of the better takedown artists in the game at 2.82 per 15 minutes.
The report also casts uncertainty over the near-term plans of fourth-ranked middleweight Caio Borralho. The 33-year-old Brazilian carries an 18-2-0 record and has posted a striking accuracy of 56 percent, suggesting he could have been in line for a title-contending opportunity that this reported negotiation may now complicate.
Why it matters
- Du Plessis is ranked second at middleweight, making any high-profile booking a potential title eliminator or championship defense
- Usman would be moving up from welterweight, adding an unusual cross-divisional dimension to the matchup
- Borralho, the fourth-ranked middleweight, could find his path to a title shot affected depending on how negotiations develop
- Nothing is confirmed, and the situation may shift significantly before any official announcement
