The South African will fight in the welterweight division.
Dricus du Plessis’ next UFC fight has been revealed. Picture: Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC
South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis will take another step towards being the best mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Africa when he steps back into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) octagon in just under a month’s time.
The former UFC middleweight champion will be in action after almost a year since he relinquished his title to then-champion Khamzat Chimaev.
His road back to gold begins on 18 July at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City when he will be up against former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman from Nigeria.
Usman is a former long time welterweight champion who has moved up from 170 to 185 pounds, after failing to secure a title fight in that division.
This card will mark the UFC’s return to OKC for the first time in almost a full decade and the fifth event in the state of Oklahoma in UFC history. The most recent was in 2017.
Du Plessis, who has already beaten another Nigerian – former middleweight king Israel Adesanya – in this division, will be out to not only take a step towards reclaiming the title, but also cement his place as one of the best African fighters on the UFC roster.
DDP has been out of action since August last year and has reportedly taken that time to work on his wrestling defence, which was blatantly exposed by the Russian at UFC 319 in Chicago.
Since then, Chimaev has gone on to lose, not only his unbeaten MMA record, but also his title to American Sean Strickland, someone who Du Plessis has beaten twice in the middleweight division.
As soon as that fight at UFC 328 ended, the speculation began, with many people saying that because of DDP’s stellar record against the American he should be next in line for a shot at the title.
But it now seems Du Plessis was serious about improving his wrestling, and instead of going straight for the middleweight title, he wants to put into practice what he has learnt over that past six months or so.
This clash against “The Nigerian Nightmare” could be a good workout for the South African, as Usman, who is an accomplished wrestler, will show whether Du Plessis has made any strides in that skillset.
