Battle for Africa! Former champions Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman headline UFC event in July.

UFC officially announces Du Plessis vs. Usman fight. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC

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Finally, the UFC ended the mystery surrounding two of its stars. The world's largest MMA organization officially announced the important fight between Dricus du Plessis, former middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg), and Kamaru Usman, former king of the welterweight division (up to 77,1 kg), on July 18, in Oklahoma (USA). The announcement of the classic was made by the company this Saturday (20), during the broadcast of ufc vegas 119.

Du Plessis and Usman headline the event, a middleweight bout. The South African, a former champion in the division, is looking to bounce back after being dominated in August by... Khamzat Shimaev, lost the fight by unanimous decision, the title and his undefeated record in the UFC. In contrast, the Nigerian ended his three-fight losing streak by dominating Joaquin buckley on June 2025.

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Rivalry and controversy

Since the fight had been speculated about for some time, Du Plessis, irritated by the delay in its announcement, blamed Usman. According to the athlete, the former welterweight king did everything to hinder the fight from happening because he was afraid to face him.

Dricus also indirectly involved Kamaru in a controversy when he faced Israel adesanyaIn 2024, during the fight's promotion, the athlete stated that he would be the first truly African UFC champion, a fact that angered Nigerians.

Proud to have been born, raised, and lived in South Africa, 'Stillknocks' questioned Adesanya and Usman's ties to the African continent, given that they moved in their youth with their respective families to New Zealand and the United States. In his response, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' lamented Du Plessis's statement and advised him to exercise more caution and responsibility.