Kamaru Usman is looking to “paint another masterpiece” in his legendary career when he meets Dricus Du Plessis in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 281 headliner.
Former longtime welterweight champion Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) moves back up to middleweight against former titleholder Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Paramount+).
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At 39, it’s a big opportunity for Usman to shake up his career and the weight class. He holds an April 2017 decision win over current champ Sean Strickland, and with a win, “The Nigerian Nightmare” would have several significant options.
“I’m a money weight fighter now,” Usman told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 281 media day. “So if it’s up at welterweight, I’ll do it. If it’s up at middleweight, I’ll do it. If it’s up at light heavyweight – I might do it.”
Usman said he respects the challenge at hand with Du Plessis and is looking to utilize all the tools in his skillset. He wants to put on a complete performance and “dominate” his opponent.
“I wouldn’t say (this division is) easier,” Usman said. “I think it just made sense. I obviously wanted the Islam (Makhachev) fight. We talked about that. I thought that’s what was going to be next. Unfortunately, in things like this, the company has a big say in this, and they felt this was an opportunity. Obviously, I’ve been up here before and fought the former champion. This one just made sense at this time.
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“But it’s definitely not easier. I wouldn’t say easier with respect to some of these guys right now at the top. Guys like Jared Cannonier. Guys like Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho. ‘Robocop’ (Gregory Rodrigues). All these guys are extremely tough, just like (Carlos) Prates or (Michael) Morales and all these guys.”
Usman admitted he only has a limited number of performances left in his career, and if he wants to complete some late-career goals, he needs to emerge victorious. The challenger for Strickland’s first title defense hasn’t been officially announced, so if he can beat Du Plessis – who holds two victories over Strickland – that would be a statement about his standing.
“Obviously (Strickland has) improved greatly since we fought, and so have I,” Usman said. “He’s the champ now. … It’s either Sean Strickland or Islam (next with a win).”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kamaru Usman: Sean Strickland rematch in play with ‘masterpiece’ at UFC OKC
