Nearly four years after losing the welterweight championship he held for more than three years, Kamaru Usman believes he still has enough to become a two-division UFC champion.Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night main event at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on July 19 against former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is the next step in that quest and, in Usman’s mind, a win should leave him one fight away from another shot at UFC gold. For the 39-year-old, this ambition has changed the way he sees his career.“Yes, every fight from this point has to be meaningful because I’m not just here to be a part of it. I’m here to do something before eventually moving on from the sport.“This is a huge fight. He’s a former champion in this division, which is still a new division for me. Any time you can get a fight of this magnitude against the No. 2-ranked guy in the world, it’s significant. Once you get out there and get this win, what’s next besides the title? So it’s a big one, and I’m saying for Times. com.
The road back to contention
The pursuit of another championship also explains why Usman has fought so little in recent years.His dominant welterweight reign came to a dramatic end in August 2022 when Leon Edwards landed a fifth-round head kick to claim the title. Seven months later, Edwards scored a closely fought rematch by majority decision.Usman gave less than two weeks notice to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, moving up to middleweight and losing a competitive majority decision. He stepped away from competition for nearly 20 months before returning in June 2025 with a commanding five-round victory over Joaquin Buckley, a performance that revived his hopes of another title shot.While many saw the layoff as idleness, Usman says there was more to it than just waiting for another fight.“Of course, the activity is the biggest indicator of all. Unfortunately, I am at a stage in my career where I would like to be more active, but it has to make sense – not only for me, but the opponent has to make sense, and, more importantly, it has to make sense for the company. Unfortunately, that hasn’t always been the case, so people haven’t seen me compete as often. But I’m just blessed to have the opportunity to be here.“The time away from the Octagon, he says, has also changed the way he approaches fighting.“You could say it’s learning to build a fight. When you’re young in the game, you’re alone there and it’s a chaotic experience. But with time, you learn how to get into a fight much earlier and understand what’s going on. I’d say that’s probably been my biggest improvement.”Although his first appearance at middleweight came recently against Chimaev, Usman believes this fight allowed him to better apply those lessons.“Well, that was a bit of a forewarning too. It was announced not too long ago.“But I feel good. Being able to prepare is always a great thing. As I said, the biggest lesson I’ve learned in this time away is how to build a fight. Hopefully, we can come out there and show that on Saturday night.”
The Du Plessis test
Standing in front of him is a very different challenge.Du Plessis has built his rise through the middleweight division on relentless pressure, constant forward movement and physicality. The South African has described himself as the most physically dominant fighter in the division, and even in defeating Chimaev last year, he continued to push forward despite being repeatedly taken down and controlled by one of the UFC’s elite fighters.The fight was decisive that night, an area Du Plessis acknowledged that he worked to go to another meeting with a decorated grappler.Usman, whose NCAA Division II wrestling credentials laid the foundation for one of the most dominant welterweight title reigns in UFC history, believes the contest will come down to much more than physical strength.“No, he’s big and physical. That’s one of the biggest things about him. What really stands out is his toughness, his determination, and his will to keep fighting and keep pushing.
“But it’s never really been an area where I’ve struggled. It’s never been a case of not pushing forward or not fighting hard. That’s also one of my strengths.“I think it’s going to come down to whoever takes tactical control of the fight and is able to maintain it,” Usman said.Asked if Chimaev’s win revealed a plan to beat Du Plessis, Usman admitted there were areas he could exploit but insisted he would build on his own strengths rather than copy someone else’s approach.“Well, it’s tough. But of course, everyone saw his last fight and saw that there was one area that Khamzat fully exploited.“I’m excelling in that area as well, but I’m not going into this fight thinking, ‘Yeah, I need to do exactly that.'” I just have to go out there and fight my fight.“I think one of the things I do better than anyone is my ability to mix everything together. As long as I go out there, do my thing, and mix it up, I think it’s going to be a great night.”Usman has already thought beyond Saturday. If he gets past Du Plessis, he wants a title shot against Sean Strickland.“Hopefully, Sean Strickland. I mean, what’s next? You beat the No. 2 guy, a former champion — why not fight the champion?“He and I have already shared the cage before. I think it’s the biggest fight in the division. With all due respect to the other guys at the top, I believe that me versus the champion is the biggest fight that the division can do.”The two first met in 2017 when the two competed at welterweight, with Usman earning a unanimous decision victory. His career has since taken very different paths. Usman became one of the most dominant champions in UFC welterweight history, defending the title five times before losing to Edwards.Strickland won success at middleweight, captured the UFC title and established himself among the division’s top contenders. A second meeting now comes with the championship stakes at stake.Away from the technical aspects of wrestling, Usman says one of the defining characteristics of his career has been a willingness to pretend he’s something he’s not.“I’m very rational and very honest with myself. If I’m not good at something, I’m not one of those guys who’s going to come out and lie to the public saying, ‘Oh yeah, I’m the best at it.’“People always say, ‘Fake it until you make it,’ but I’m not really one of those guys. If I’m not there, I’m not going to pretend I am. I’m going to go there, put in the work, and then I’ll let you know what I’m capable of.”That same honesty extends to what goes through his mind before every fight.“It still affects you because you have invested so much time and effort with your coaches, trainers, physical therapists, nutritionists and everyone else involved. You also sacrifice time with your family.“Of course, you want all those people to experience the reward for everything they have put into helping. You don’t want to lose and have them feel that all the work has not paid off.“Absolutely, the moment you step into the cage, one of the biggest thoughts in your mind is, ‘I don’t want to lose this. I can’t lose this.“I’ve dealt with this before. I’ve been there, done that, and I have the experience. Now we’re excited to get out there one more time and do it.”Whether the next title opportunity comes immediately or not will largely depend on Saturday night’s result. But for Usman, there is little ambiguity about why he is still fighting.As for how he hopes people will remember him when his career ends, the answer has little to do with championship belts.“I hope the biggest thing people say is that I was a really high-class individual — not just in the sport, but outside of it as well.“That’s who I am. That’s how I was raised. That’s how I train, and that’s how I conduct myself in every aspect of this game.“I hope it comes, and I hope people recognize it and respect it.”