Du Plessis Coach Rejects 2 Usman Foul Claims After UFC Fight Night 281

Q: He's 2-0 against the champion, so why might Dricus Du Plessis be denied his middleweight title shot?

Dricus Du Plessis could be passed over because the UFC appears to have other plans for the next middleweight title fight, and his claim is not as clear-cut as his supporters argue. The biggest obstacle is Nassourdine Imavov, who has said the UFC told him he is next for the belt against Sean Strickland. If that is accurate, Du Plessis’ dominant win over Kamaru Usman may not be enough to jump the line. Former champion Khamzat Chimaev is also pushing for a rematch with Strickland, giving the UFC another marketable option. There is also a factual issue with the premise. The available championship history indicates Du Plessis is 1-0, not 2-0, against current champion Sean Strickland. He beat Strickland to win the belt in 2024, then lost the title to Chimaev in 2025, before Strickland regained it in 2026. That means Du Plessis is coming off a title-fight loss in his most recent championship appearance, which weakens the case for an immediate return shot. Even with his one-sided win over Usman, UFC decision-makers may prefer a fresh challenger over a rematch or trilogy that some analysts, including Daniel Cormier, believe fans may not strongly want right now. Cormier has argued that if Du Plessis already proved himself against Strickland, the UFC may see more value in giving Imavov his chance. So the issue is less Du Plessis’ performance and more timing, contender traffic, and the UFC’s appetite for a new matchup.

Q: With four losses in five fights, is Kamaru Usman's next bout a comeback story or a farewell fight?

Usman’s next fight looks more like a comeback attempt than a farewell, even if the odds of a true late-career resurgence are narrow. The clearest evidence is his own stance after the loss to Dricus Du Plessis. Usman did not hint at retirement; instead, he disputed the scoring, said he remains open to fighting at both 170 and 185 pounds, and has publicly indicated he is not done. UFC CEO Dana White also pushed back on retirement talk, saying Usman “still got it” and noting he was competitive against a naturally bigger middleweight. That said, the comeback label needs context. Usman is 39, has lost four of his last five, and was beaten clearly by Du Plessis, with scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46. He is no longer operating from the position of a former dominant champion; he is now trying to prove he can still beat elite contenders. His middleweight outlook appears especially difficult because of the size and physicality gap, which Du Plessis exposed. If there is a realistic path, it is probably back at welterweight, where Usman’s résumé is strongest and where he recently showed he can still win at a high level. A return at 170 against a ranked but beatable opponent would frame his next bout as a genuine test of whether he can re-enter contention. So the next fight is best seen as a comeback story in intent, but one that could quickly turn into a farewell if he loses again.

3 articles · Updated · MMA Junkie · Jul 22

Morne Visser said Kamaru Usman’s eye-poke and low-blow complaints during Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 281 main event were “all nonsense.”
Visser said Dricus Du Plessis repeatedly hurt Usman but stuck to a plan of staying composed rather than chasing a finish because Usman recovered quickly and remained dangerous.
Du Plessis, now 24-3 with a 10-1 UFC record, was coming off a 10- to 11-month layoff, and Visser called the performance the best of his career.
The win marked a rebound from Du Plessis’ lopsided middleweight title loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, where he was controlled for five rounds.