Dricus du Plessis breaks silence on title picture before Usman showdown
· The South African
Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis returns to the Octagon on Sunday morning (SA time) when he takes on former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City.
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The bout marks Du Plessis’ first appearance since suffering the first defeat of his UFC career, losing his middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev.
Before that setback, the South African had put together an impressive 9-0 run in the promotion, recording notable victories over Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.
A victory over Usman could put Du Plessis firmly back in the title picture, with the winner expected to strengthen their case for a shot at current middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
What time will Dricus Du Plessis fight Usman?
The UFC Oklahoma City main card is scheduled to begin at 02:00 (SA time) on Sunday. As the headline bout, Du Plessis and Usman are expected to make their cage walks between 04:00 and 04:30 (SA time).
Speaking ahead of the contest, Du Plessis insisted he deserves another title opportunity if he delivers a convincing performance and questioned talk of a rematch between Strickland and Chimaev.
Dricus Du Plessis eyeing title match
“Between Sean and Khamzat, there’s no title defenses,” Du Plessis said.
“I defended my title twice — against Strickland and against Israel Adesanya. The Khamzat rematch is ridiculous, it doesn’t make any sense. If they do it, I mean, it’s ridiculous. It would be crazy. Let them do what they need to do. I’ll just fight my way back. After my performance, let my performance speak.”
The South African fighter admitted that his defeat to Chimaev has limited his ability to make demands but remains confident he can earn another championship opportunity.
Dricus Du Plessis is a favourite to win against Usman but defeat could put him on a backfoot in terms of regaining the title.
“That’s the thing, right now I don’t have anything to say. I can’t really say anything because I got beaten in my last fight. You can’t really say too much. I’ll do my talking then and I’ll prove once again why I’m the best in the world,” he said.