Dricus Du Plessis has spoken publicly about his upcoming middleweight bout against Kamaru Usman, pushing back on suggestions he should have taken a fight with Nassourdine Imavov instead. Du Plessis argued that facing another striker holds no special appeal after he has already twice defeated Sean Strickland, whom he regards as the best in that mold.
Dricus Du Plessis has gone on record to address his pending middleweight clash with Kamaru Usman, simultaneously batting away criticism that he should have instead accepted a fight against divisional leader Nassourdine Imavov. The South African argued his reasoning is straightforward: he has already beaten the best striker the division has to offer, twice, so pursuing another striker carries no particular logic.
Du Plessis, 32, enters the Usman fight ranked second in the middleweight division and seventh pound-for-pound on the global rankings. Competing out of Team CIT, the South African carries a 23-3-0 record and presents a well-rounded threat from his switch stance, averaging 5.18 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy while also posting a solid 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes.
The striker Du Plessis referenced is Sean Strickland, who at 35 holds a 31-7-0 record and currently sits as middleweight champion. Fighting out of Xtreme Couture in an orthodox stance, Strickland is among the division's highest-volume strikers at 6.04 significant strikes per minute, though his accuracy sits at 42 percent. Du Plessis's twice-proven ability to neutralize that output forms the core of his argument against taking the Imavov bout.
Imavov, ranked first in the middleweight division, is a 30-year-old French fighter out of MMA Factory who stands six-foot-three with a 75-inch reach. He carries a 17-4-0 record and brings a more technically precise striking game at 54 percent accuracy, supplemented by a submission threat at one attempt per 15 minutes — a different profile from Strickland, but one Du Plessis has publicly chosen to pass on for now.
Why it matters
- Du Plessis versus Usman reshapes the middleweight landscape regardless of outcome, given Usman's former pound-for-pound status
- Imavov holds the division's top ranking, meaning his exclusion from the title picture remains a point of contention
- The stylistic contrast between Du Plessis's switch-stance all-around game and the opponents he is choosing reveals a deliberate strategic direction
