A middleweight title bout between champion Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman is currently in negotiations and could take place in July, according to insider Kevin K. This development comes amid a public callout exchange between Du Plessis and Caio Borralho, who traveled to South Africa to challenge the champion. Du Plessis invited Borralho to spar at his gym instead, dismissing the Brazilian's contract demands by stating his name isn't even part of current negotiations. If the Usman fight materializes, it leaves Borralho's next opponent uncertain.
According to insider Kevin K., the UFC is reportedly in negotiations for a middleweight title fight between champion Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman, with a potential July target date. The bout has not been officially confirmed, and the report comes as Du Plessis finds himself at the center of a separate public callout situation involving ranked contender Caio Borralho.
Du Plessis, 32, holds the middleweight title and carries a 23-3-0 record. The South African, who trains out of Team CIT, is ranked seventh pound-for-pound and second in the division. Standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, he is an aggressive switch-stance finisher who lands 5.18 significant strikes per minute and adds 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes to his offensive arsenal.
Usman, 39, enters at 21-4-0 and is currently ranked eighth at welterweight, making a move to middleweight the implicit backdrop of any negotiations. Fighting out of Kill Cliff FC, the American known as "The Nigerian Nightmare" averages 4.36 significant strikes per minute with 52 percent accuracy, and has historically been one of the sport's most prolific takedown artists at 2.82 per 15 minutes.
Borralho, 33, is the fourth-ranked middleweight at 18-2-0 and traveled to South Africa to publicly call out Du Plessis. The Brazilian southpaw, training with The Fighting Nerds, posts a striking accuracy of 56 percent and a 3.44 significant strikes per minute rate. Du Plessis reportedly responded by inviting Borralho to spar rather than engage with his contract demands, and made clear that Borralho's name is not part of the current title picture discussions.
Why it matters
- A Du Plessis vs. Usman fight would mark Usman's attempt to claim a title in a second weight class
- Borralho, despite being the fourth-ranked middleweight contender, is left without a clear path forward if negotiations with Usman advance
- The style matchup pits two switch-stance fighters against each other, both carrying elite takedown threats
