Kamaru Usman reveals multiple factors that delayed Dricus du Plessis fight that headlines UFC Oklahoma City

Kamaru Usman was linked to a potential title fight against UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev earlier this year.

That fight, the rumors notwithstanding, didn't come to fruition. Makhachev is scheduled to defend the welterweight belt against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 on August 15.

Meanwhile, ex-UFC welterweight champion Usman is set to fight ex-UFC middleweight titlist Dricus du Plessis in a middleweight matchup. They'll headline UFC Oklahoma City on July 18.

Usman, who hasn't competed since June 2025, has now revealed why his comeback fight was delayed. 

Kamaru Usman claims he'd been seeking a fight since February 2026

In the latest edition of the Pound 4 Pound podcast that he hosts with former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman stated: 

"I've just been ready to fight since, like, February (2026). I mean, I asked for a fight since then. And it was like, 'Oh, we don't know.' Because we all know which fight I wanted." 

Usman suggested that there was a considerable amount of negotiation between him and the UFC, as well as between other fighters and the UFC for their respective matchups.

Kamaru Usman recalls attempts to fight Islam Makhachev for welterweight belt and eventual middleweight booking against Dricus du Plessis

Kamaru Usman alluded that speculation abounded about the UFC attempting to book a high-profile superfight between then-UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and reigning UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev earlier this year. 

Also, Usman seemingly cited the behind-the-scenes factors, such as long-running negotiations, as a significant reason behind his comeback fight being delayed.

He explained, "And I wanted the Islam fight. So all these things behind the scenes, kind of dragging on... And then, 'DDP' was mentioned; not really offered, but mentioned." 

"The Nigerian Nightmare" implied that he'd conveyed his willingness to fight du Plessis and was essentially open to any match that'll get him a title shot.

Usman reaffirmed that he'd made his stance clear that if he wasn't getting a championship fight right away, he'd like a top contender matchup that would catapult him into a title match. 

Furthermore, Usman signaled that he was open to fighting du Plessis at the UFC event in Miami, UFC 327, earlier this year, but the UFC apparently told him it might be too early for "Stillknocks" to return. 

"So I thought the fight was off. It wasn't gonna happen," Usman said, harking back to when he believed his fight against du Plessis had fallen apart. He underlined that the logistics of booking fights at the highest level of the sport of MMA do entail such challenges. 

Regardless, the UFC eventually announced the du Plessis vs. Usman matchup, and the latter knew he could go all in to specifically prepare for it.

Intriguingly, du Plessis previously went as far as jibing that Usman was "scared" of signing the contract to fight him. Usman, for his part, has consistently maintained that he'd like to capture the UFC middleweight belt and join the elite list of UFC double champions, fighters who've won titles in two separate weight classes. 

 

Watch Kamaru Usman shed light on the delay in the finalization of his matchup against Dricus du Plessis below (*comments at the 16:19-minute mark of the video):