​Kamaru Usman knew he would be facing Dricus Du Plessis once the UFC made the matchup official. After months of negotiations, the bout was finally confirmed last week for UFC Fight Night 281, with the main event set for July 18 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City (streaming on Paramount+). Du Plessis has said the UFC needed to persuade Usman to take the fight, but Usman offers a different account of how things unfolded. On his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman explained that he had been ready to fight since February and had pushed for a contest, but there were various discussions and shifting plans behind the scenes. He said there were talks about Ilia versus Islam and other possibilities, and that Du Plessis was mentioned rather than officially offered. He recalls suggesting a Miami date and being told it might be too soon or that Du Plessis might not be ready, which left him thinking the fight might fall through. Eventually, however, the matchup was announced, and Usman prepared accordingly.
For Usman, the key attraction of fighting Du Plessis is a path to UFC dual-champion status. He has held the welterweight title five times, placing him behind only Georges St-Pierre in title defenses, and he remains eager to join the elite club of two-division champions. “There’s still a club that I’m not in yet, and I want to be in that club,” Usman said. “I want to be in all the clubs in this sport. … It’s something that I’m still chasing, it’s still very attractive to me in the sport. So, I’m going to pursue that. Whoever the opponent is, it doesn’t really matter to me at this point because it’s bigger than just a fight.”