Du Plessis insists UFC OKC win over Usman must earn him a third Strickland title shot

Dricus du Plessis has made clear that his middleweight clash with Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City on July 18 is about more than a win — it is, he argues, an audition for a third fight with champion Sean Strickland.

The South African lost his 185-pound title to Khamzat Chimaev in a one-sided decision, but he is not ready to step aside in the title picture. Du Plessis points to two previous victories over Strickland as the foundation of his claim, and says the performance against Usman will be just as important as the result.

“Absolutely, because I have defended my belt against two of the best fighters in the world, the current champion being one of them,” du Plessis said. “I don’t think it’s about the fight. It’s about the performance between myself and Usman. Both of us are putting our hands out for that title shot and deservedly so. It will all come down to the winner and the fashion that you do this.”

Usman has his own claim on a Strickland bout. The Nigerian-American holds a win over the current champion from their welterweight days nearly a decade ago, and he enters the Oklahoma City main event as a fellow former titleholder looking to re-enter the championship conversation.

The middleweight division is crowded at the top. Chimaev, who dethroned du Plessis, and top-ranked contender Nassourdine Imavov are also considered contenders, though both have losses to Strickland on their records. That context gives the du Plessis-Usman matchup added weight: a dominant showing from either man could cut through the noise and force the UFC’s hand on the next title fight.

For du Plessis, the path back to Strickland runs directly through Usman — and he wants to leave no doubt about who deserves the call.