Du Plessis accuses Usman of stalling on UFC Oklahoma City contract: 'He didn't want to sign'

Dricus du Plessis has accused Kamaru Usman of dragging his feet over their middleweight main event at UFC Oklahoma City on July 18, claiming the UFC had to personally persuade the former welterweight champion to put pen to paper.

“He didn’t want to sign the contract, I know that for a fact,” du Plessis told Fight Forecast. “I spoke to the UFC and they said, ‘We finally convinced him to sign.’ If you need convincing to sign, that’s a problem, but I can’t blame him, I would also not want to fight me right now. It would be the smart move not to sign the fight, but let’s go.”

Du Plessis had previously hinted that a “little someone” was holding up the official announcement, and he confirmed those comments were aimed at Usman. The bout was only formalised in the fortnight before the event, an unusually late confirmation for a main event.

Usman, 39, is widely regarded as one of the greatest welterweights in UFC history. He won his first 15 fights in the promotion, claimed the welterweight title in 2019, and made five successful defences before eventually losing the belt. His sole middleweight outing ended in a narrow decision defeat to Khamzat Chimaev, and he is now targeting a title shot at 185 pounds.

For du Plessis, the fight carries specific significance beyond a return to the top of the rankings. The South African lost his middleweight title to Chimaev at UFC 319 after being out-wrestled, and he is eager to demonstrate that vulnerability has been addressed.

“What’s it going to mean for me to go out there and beat another striker? I’ve done that many times,” du Plessis said. “People are going to be like, ‘OK, we know you can strike, what about the wrestling and grappling?’ because of my last fight. I want to go out there and prove what I’ve done.”

Du Plessis also pushed back on the suggestion that Usman’s age makes him a lesser test, pointing to Justin Gaethje’s recent performance as evidence that veteran fighters remain dangerous. He described Usman as arguably the finest welterweight ever alongside Georges St-Pierre on the basis of title defences, and noted that victories over Sean Strickland and a competitive showing against Chimaev make him exactly the kind of opponent he needs.

“I want to fight somebody that gets me to my title again,” du Plessis said. “Now I am more complete — and I was a complete fighter — but now I am complete in all areas and I can’t wait to go and show that.”