Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has expressed a strong desire to headline a historic all-African super fight against current middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis, potentially marking the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s long-anticipated debut on African soil.
Usman, who returned to winning ways with a hard-fought victory over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta last weekend, is already setting his sights on bigger challenges.
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Speaking with TMZ, the 38-year-old Nigerian mixed martial artist revealed his interest in stepping up in weight to face South Africa’s Du Plessis in a landmark bout.
“After getting the belt, they asked and waited years for me to go up and get the middleweight belt, so why not?” Usman said. “I will relinquish that if Dricus Du Plessis is still the champion—an all-African card. Africa versus Africa, first card in Africa.”
The idea, he said, would go beyond personal ambition. Usman framed the bout as a cultural and national showdown, tapping into the deep-rooted sporting rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa.
“South Africa versus Nigeria—it’s a rivalry that’s been built forever, a sports rivalry,” Usman noted. “I think that’s another blockbuster—two mega events that you’re gonna remember forever.”
While Usman is still open to pursuing a welterweight title shot, possibly against Jack Della Maddalena or Islam Makhachev, he emphasized that a fight with Du Plessis would hold historic and emotional weight for the continent.
Usman, whose 15-fight win streak remains the longest in UFC welterweight history, believes a few more wins could pave the way for what he considers a legacy-defining clash.
“Manifestation is very powerful,” he added. “If things start to fall in line, I think we’re gonna see a pretty interesting next 18 months.”
With Usman’s resurgence and Du Plessis currently holding the middleweight crown, the prospect of a first UFC event in Africa—and a headline clash between two African titans—appears closer than ever.
