In a recent interview, former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis had claimed that his upcoming opponent, Kamaru Usman, had hesitated to sign the contract to fight him.
Du Plessis is set to face ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ at UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs. Usman on July 18 in a middleweight showdown.
The South African has not returned to the octagon since his humbling defeat to Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 main event last year. Meanwhile, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ secured a unanimous decision win against Joaquin Buckley in his last outing at 170 pounds.
The winner of the bout could instantly enter the middleweight title conversation, with Sean Strickland currently sitting at the top of the division as champion.
Speaking about the bout, ‘Stillknocks’ claimed that it took some work to get Usman to sign the dotted line. He stated:
“He didn’t want to sign the contract. The UFC said they finally convinced him to sign. If you need convincing to sign, that’s a problem.
I can’t blame him, I also wouldn’t want to fight me right now.”
Check out Dricus du Plessis’ comments below:
Dricus du Plessis Explains Why Kamaru Usman Fight Matters More Than Nassourdine Imavov Clash
In the same interview, Dricus du Plessis stated that he preferred to fight Kamaru Usman over No.3-ranked Nassourdine Imavov.
Du Plessis stated that he prefers to test himself against a well-rounded fighter like Usman. He said:
“People say, “Why don’t you fight Imavov?” I don’t mind that fight either. What it’s going to be for me to beat another striker? I’ve beaten the best, which is Strickland, twice.[Kamaru Usman] started his career at middleweight. Has a win over Strickland, [and] had that very close fight with Chimaev.”
“Why would I fight another striker, people gonna be like, “We know you can strike, what about wrestling and grappling?”
“I want to go out there and show the problem middleweights have. Now I’m complete in all areas.”
Check out Dricus du Plessis’ comments below:
With both men looking to reassert themselves in the title picture, the matchup carries major implications for the division’s future.
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