The UFC matchmakers are bent on earning every penny of their paycheck with this one. The problem with the welterweight and middleweight divisions of the UFC, and it is a good problem to have, is that there were too many good matchups to be made. Forget the title and the champions; the contenders facing each other promised fireworks. But what do you do when everyone wants to fight the champion, and the champion does not want to fight the most deserving contender?

After losing to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, Dricus du Plessis vowed to make a strong comeback. But he was not going to get an immediate rematch. His loss was absolute. He had no answer for Chimaev’s dominance in the Octagon. Back to the drawing board he went. Chimaev started calling for big names like Alex Pereira.

Fifteen pounds below, Islam Makhachev did the same to Jack Della Maddalena. Ian Garry, Carlos Prates (who also just beat Maddalena), and Michael Morales were chomping at the bit for a shot at the Russian’s title. But Islam wanted Kamaru Usman.

Here’s where the matchmakers decided to play 4D chess. With Kamaru and Islam sharing the same manager, the clamor to make that fight must have been relentless. But all signs point to Islam facing Ian Garry in August at UFC 330. What do you do then, with Kamaru Usman?

Even at 39, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has enough tread left in his tyres to give names like Joaquin Buckley and Khamzat Chimaev a run for their money. But he, too, wanted nothing other than Islam Makhachev. And it seems like he now has the perfect appeasement offer from the UFC.

Du Plessis appears ready for his anticipated return, according to his gym. While the date, time, and location have yet to be confirmed, a recent social media leak suggests that ‘Stillknocks’ next fight could be nothing short of a superfight against the former welterweight champion.

 “Breaking news: Kamaru Usman vs Dricus du Plessis fight is rumored to be in the works,” a social media account called Fight Grid posted on Instagram, which ‘Stillknocks’ gym CIT Performance Institute later reposted on their Instagram story.

Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman have had a brewing rivalry for a long time despite not sharing the same division. The reason? The former middleweight kingpin once took shots at other African fighters like Usman and Adesanya for not bringing the belt to Africa, while crediting himself as “the real African champion.” Since then, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has been keen on fighting him and has shown a strong interest in a middleweight clash.

Following his win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta, Usman stated that he could fight du Plessis at 185 lbs. At that time, the South African was still the middleweight champion. Because of that, the Nigerian-American wanted to challenge him in an Africa vs Africa matchup for the belt. However, that fight could not materialize, as Khamzat Chimaev defeated ‘Stillknocks’ at UFC 319 to become the new king of the middleweight division.

Still, the former 170 lbs titleholder revealed in a Pound-for-Pound podcast episode in February 2026 that the UFC remains interested in the matchup, and Dana White and Co. even offered him the fight. However, with Islam Makhachev expressing interest in defending his 170-lb title against him, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ held back from making any drastic move.

That said, Carlos Prates recently hinted at UFC Perth that Makhachev could defend his title against Ian Garry, possibly in Philadelphia, and he himself wants to fight the winner. With the welterweight division stacked with contenders, we might actually see du Plessis vs Usman take place at middleweight. Also, the fight is particularly intriguing given that both men have faced the current champion, Khamzat Chimaev.

The Nigerian-American former champ was one of the few fighters to give Chimaev serious trouble, with ‘Borz’ winning their UFC 294 clash via majority decision. Conversely, the Chechen Emirati dominated the South African at UFC 319, earning 50-44 scores across all judges’ scorecards. With that in mind, it remains to be seen which of Chimaev’s past opponents can climb back into title contention if he successfully gets past Sean Strickland at UFC 329.

As we wait for official confirmation of this matchup, another contender is also showing strong interest in fighting Dricus du Plessis, even making a bold move to secure the bout.

Top-ranked contender goes to South Africa to challenge Dricus du Plessis

As the 185 lbs division heats up, top 5-ranked contender Caio Borralho has only added more fuel to the fire. He recently defeated Reinier de Ridder in the UFC 326 co-main event, and now the Brazilian is eyeing an even tougher challenge. However, he doesn’t believe in waiting around for the UFC to line one up.

‘The Fighting Nerd’ took matters into his own hands, traveling to South Africa in search of Dricus du Plessis to spark a potential clash. “4 callouts, no answer,” Borralho wrote on social media. “So I came to Johannesburg myself.”

“Come to @cit_performanceinstitute, then we spar, we can record it if you want,” du Plessis responded.

Following that, Borralho fired back, labeling du Plessis a “little kid” and urging him to sign the contract. The South African didn’t hold back in his reply, dismissing Borralho’s position and doubling down on his sparring offer.

“What contract?” du Plessis wrote. “You actually think you’re in the conversation? Come to the gym, I’m like a 30-minute drive from you. Let’s see if you’re at least man enough to show up. We start at 9 AM Friday.”

With that heated exchange, du Plessis now has another potential opponent lined up if anything falls through with a possible Kamaru Usman fight. That said, when do you think the South African former champ will return?