Dricus du Plessis points at “a little someone” as a possible hold-up in his next UFC fight

Dricus du Plessis says the delay in announcing his next fight is not on his end. In a cryptic post reported by MMA media, the former UFC middleweight champion suggested that “a little someone” has agreed to a matchup but is taking longer than expected to sign the contract, framing the postponement as an administrative or negotiating issue rather than a change on his timeline.

According to coverage of du Plessis’ comments, the South African fighter wrote that the announcement is taking “longer than expected,” while also insisting that “from my side it’s been signed and sealed for a while.” He added wording that questioned whether the opponent is signing for a “show purse,” a reference that reads as a critique of incentives or terms, rather than a direct technical disagreement about the fight itself.

The exchange comes amid continuing talk that du Plessis could move up to 185 pounds for his next appearance against Kamaru Usman, a former UFC welterweight champion. Those rumors place the potential fight as a headliner at UFC Oklahoma City on July 18, though no official bout confirmation has been published by the UFC in the material available here, meaning the pairing should be treated as speculative until announced through official channels.

Du Plessis has not fought since a loss that took the middleweight title from him, according to the same reporting. He previously built his UFC résumé by winning his first nine fights in the promotion, including championship victories over Sean Strickland and then wins over former titleholders Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. The next fight, whatever its final form, is an opportunity to reassert his place near the top of the UFC’s middleweight picture or to test himself in a heavier division.

For Usman, the context is different. He previously rose to prominence by dominating the UFC’s 170-pound division, winning a title in 2019 and defending it five consecutive times. More recently, he snapped a losing stretch with a decision win over Joaquin Buckley in June 2025, giving him momentum heading toward a higher-profile matchup if an agreement is finalized.

It matters because du Plessis is one of the UFC’s most prominent names in the middleweight division, and the UFC’s matchmaking priorities often pivot around who is ready to fight when. If du Plessis truly is waiting on a contracted signature rather than a scheduling window, it indicates that the organization may already be lining up promotional work, with the remaining variable being the opponent’s paperwork and terms.

It also matters for Usman’s late-career trajectory at 185 pounds. A move into the middleweight division has become a defining storyline for a handful of former champions, and a fight against du Plessis would be one of the more consequential tests available. Until the UFC formally announces the bout and the card details, though, this remains a “who’s next” scenario driven by fighter hints and media reporting rather than confirmed match-making.

What to watch next is straightforward: whether du Plessis and Usman both end up on an official UFC release for an Oklahoma City card, and whether the UFC’s eventual announcement clarifies the weight class and scheduling. If the “signed and sealed” claim holds, the fight could move quickly once the UFC can officially publicize it, but the timeline still depends on contracts being finalized by the opponent’s side.