Former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis returns to the octagon on July 18 in the UFC Fight Night 281 main event against former welterweight ****** leholder Kamaru Usman. It will be Du Plessis' first fight since losing the ****** le to Khamzat Chimaev last August.
Usman called for the fight months ago but it wasn't signed until now. Du Plessis, the No. 2 ranked contender in the division, justified facing Usman next instead of third-ranked Nassourdine Imavov.
"We've been talking about the fight a long time. He mentioned the fight way before we made the fight and I said, 'Well, cool. I'll take that fight.' Now people say, 'Why don't you fight Imavov?' I don't mind that fight either. I want to fight somebody that gets me to my ****** le again," Du Plessis. told Fight Forecast.
"Kamaru Usman, yes, he's a bit older, but now you look at what [Justin] Gaethje just did. I mean, so that throws that argument out the window immediately. Kamaru Usman is arguably the best welterweight ever, you know, alongside Georges St-Pierre if you go on ****** le defenses and all that. So, he started his career out at middleweight. He has a win over Sean Strickland. He had that very close fight with Khamzat Chimaev. And that's why I wanted this fight."
Du Plelssis wanted the stylistic matchup Usman brings to the table to show his grappling improvements. He didn't think Imavov would give him that opportunity.
Usman called for the fight months ago but it wasn't signed until now. Du Plessis, the No. 2 ranked contender in the division, justified facing Usman next instead of third-ranked Nassourdine Imavov.
"We've been talking about the fight a long time. He mentioned the fight way before we made the fight and I said, 'Well, cool. I'll take that fight.' Now people say, 'Why don't you fight Imavov?' I don't mind that fight either. I want to fight somebody that gets me to my ****** le again," Du Plessis. told Fight Forecast.
"Kamaru Usman, yes, he's a bit older, but now you look at what [Justin] Gaethje just did. I mean, so that throws that argument out the window immediately. Kamaru Usman is arguably the best welterweight ever, you know, alongside Georges St-Pierre if you go on ****** le defenses and all that. So, he started his career out at middleweight. He has a win over Sean Strickland. He had that very close fight with Khamzat Chimaev. And that's why I wanted this fight."
Du Plelssis wanted the stylistic matchup Usman brings to the table to show his grappling improvements. He didn't think Imavov would give him that opportunity.
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