According to insider reports mentioned in a Telegram post, a fight between middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is being developed. This comes amid a public 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 and questioned why the Brazilian believed he was in title contention. The post also mentioned that Shavkat Rakhmonov posted rehabilitation footage showing him far from fighting condition, having not competed in over a year and a half. The potential Du Plessis-Usman matchup would represent a significant move up in weight for the former welterweight king.
Unconfirmed reports circulating on Telegram indicate that a middleweight title fight between champion Dricus Du Plessis and former welterweight king Kamaru Usman is in the early stages of development, though nothing has been officially confirmed.
Du Plessis, 32, carries a 23-3 record and holds both the middleweight title and a place at number seven in the pound-for-pound rankings. The South African southpaw-turned-switch hitter out of Team CIT is one of the division's most relentless pressers, averaging 5.18 significant strikes per minute with an additional 2.22 takedown attempts per 15 minutes. The reported matchup with Usman would represent a significant weight-class jump for the former welterweight champion, who would be moving up to 185 pounds.
The report surfaces amid a public back-and-forth between Du Plessis and fourth-ranked middleweight contender Caio Borralho. The Brazilian, 33, holds an 18-2 record and traveled to South Africa to make a case for a title shot. Du Plessis responded by inviting Borralho to spar at his gym while publicly questioning why the contender considered himself a legitimate title challenger. Borralho, a southpaw out of The Fighting Nerds, averages 3.44 significant strikes per minute and connects at a 56 percent accuracy rate.
The same Telegram post noted that welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov — ranked third at 170 pounds and still undefeated at 19-0 — recently posted rehabilitation footage, suggesting the Kazakhstani fighter is well away from a return. Rakhmonov, 31, has not competed in over a year and a half.
Why it matters
- A Du Plessis vs. Usman booking would bypass several ranked middleweights, including the outspoken Borralho, raising divisional order questions.
- Rakhmonov's rehabilitation timeline leaves the welterweight top five unsettled with no confirmed return date.
- As an unconfirmed report, all elements of this story remain subject to change until official announcements are made.
