Former UFC 185-pound titleholder Dricus du Plessis has dropped a mysterious update about his next fight. The South African’s last outing was in 2025 at UFC 319, where he lost his middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev.
After the title loss, “Stillknocks” has been waiting for quite some time to return to action, and in the past few weeks, he’s often teased that his next bout will be announced soon. He is already in camp and can’t wait to return to winning ways.
This past weekend, there were rumors that Dricus du Plessis would lock horns with former welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City in July.
Kamaru Usman’s last fight was in 2025 against Joaquin Buckley, which the former won by unanimous decision, snapping his three-fight losing skid. The Nigerian Nightmare” wanted to face 170-pound titleholder Islam Makhachev in his next bout, but sources suggest that Makhachev will take on Ian Machado Garry in August.
If Usman can’t get another shot at reclaiming the welterweight title right now, he has made it clear in previous interviews that, at 39 years old, he is only interested in meaningful fights.
That being said, a matchup against a former UFC middleweight champion would certainly fit that description, while also giving “The Nigerian Nightmare” a chance to move one step closer to becoming a two-division champion. It is also something he had previously wanted if “Stillknocks” was still the champ at 185 pounds.
Check out Kamaru Usman’s comments below:
Dricus Du Plessis explains why there is a delay in the announcement
The potential Dricus Du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman bout, rumored to take place on July 18, has not been made official, and now “Stillknocks” has dropped an update as to why the announcement remains pending.
In a recent Instagram post, Dricus Du Plessis said he has already signed the contract for his next fight and is ready to go. However, whoever has agreed to this matchup has not signed the contract, and so the fight is still not official. He wrote:
“So apparently, a little someone agreed to a fight, but actually signing the dotted line isn’t that easy when you know you’re just signing for a show purse. Smart-Yes Scared- Definitely. Sorry people, the announcement is taking longer than expected, but from my side, it’s been signed and sealed for a while. #stillknocks #preparetobeamazed”
Check out Dricus du Plessis’ post below:
Du Plessis vs. Usman could prove to be another difficult matchup for the South African, considering how Khamzat Chimaev was able to control him for more than 21 minutes at UFC 319.
After the title loss in 2025, Du Plessis spent ample time working on his flaws, and now a potential clash with Kamaru Usman could be the perfect opportunity to showcase how much he has improved his takedown defense, ability to prevent mat returns, and ground game.