Kamaru Usman’s opponent in upcoming UFC fight on July 18 calls former champion a ‘very dangerous absolute legend’

Kamaru Usman, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight world champion, will return to the octagon on July 18 against South African middleweight icon Dricus Du Plessis, who considers his Nigerian opponent “a very dangerous absolute legend.”

Sports247 reports that while Du Plessis is also a former middleweight champion, he is not willing to take any risks against Usman when they tango in the main event of UFC Fight Night 281 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, USA, as he respects the Nigerian fighter’s long list of achievements.

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Consequently, with only one week left to enter the octagon for another historic event, Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is seriously preparing, with the firm intention of hitting Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC), who is ready to begin his second appearance at 185 pounds.

Usman’s goal is to emerge champion in a second weight class, as he moves up from welterweight to middleweight again, but his aspirations run counter to those of Du Plessis, who is eager to return to fame after losing his prestigious belt to Khamzat Chimaev last year.

Du Plessis still feels the sting of that loss he suffered at UFC 319, especially after Chimaev lost the same belt at UFC 328 to Sean Strickland, a man whom the South African had defeated twice in title fights and now wants to use Usman as a springboard for his return to contention in the race for another belt.

He replied: “It’s going to be a great honor to share the cage with an absolute legend like Kamaru. I know he’s going to bring out the best in me because, if you fight a guy like that and you’re not at your best, you’re going to lose that fight.”

“The amount of five-round experience and the length of time he’s been an athlete from wrestling to MMA, the people he’s fought, the caliber of fighters he’s fought and being at the top of the sport for so long, a guy like that is always dangerous.

“That’s why we’ve made sure he’s the best he’s ever been. That’s what I expect from him. The motivation is there for him to win this fight, get a title shot, sail off into the sunset with an incredible career, champion of two weight divisions, but I’m not going to let that happen.

“I know he’s dangerous. He can knock you out. He’s a guy who will work hard. The problem is, I expect him to come with that physicality like he always does. It’s not going to work. I’m the most physical guy in the division. There’s only one champion in that division, and that’s me.”

Sports247 further reports that Usman bounced back from three straight losses by outpointing Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta last June, while coming back from losing the welterweight title to Leon Edwards, which was his first loss in 14 UFC fights.

Usman then failed to regain his belt in a rematch before suffering another loss to Khamzat Chimaev during a middleweight fight in October 2023 and, after returning to welterweight to defeat Buckley, the 39-year-old Nigerian believed he would be next in line for a shot at 170lb champion Islam Makhachev.

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ thought being the UFC’s former pound-for-pound number one star would give him an automatic nod to face Makhachev, but his hopes of facing the Russian welterweight king have been delayed as he will have to beat Du Plessis first.