On July 18, the UFC returns to Oklahoma City for the first time in nine years. Former champion Dricus Du Plessis takes on former champion Kamaru Usman at middleweight. The fight night takes place at the Paycom Arena.
The UFC announced during the UFC Vegas 119 broadcast. Du Plessis is the top contender in the division after losing his belt last year to champion Khamzat Chimaev. Usman ended his losing skid recently by defeating Joaquin Buckley. The Nigerian fighter now moves up in weight to challenge the South African native.
Another Battle Of Africa
The fight between Du Plessis and Usman will be the second time that two fighters from Africa are fighting in the main event in the UFC. The first time in August 2024, Du Plessis defended his belt against former champion Israel Adesanya.
Du Plessis debuted in the UFC in 2020. The South African came over from the EFC promotion, where he was a two-division champion. Du Plessis had a good start in the UFC with three finishes in his first four fights. After also winning his fifth fight against Derek Brunson, Du Plessis was very close to a title shot in the middleweight division. The only man that was between him and a title shot was former champion Robert Whittaker.
Cardio Issues Got Fixed Right In Time
Du Plessis had shown cardio issues in many of his UFC fights. But he went into surgery to fix his nose right before the Whittaker fight. The New Zealander was, for many people, a big favorite going into the fight, but Du Plessis proved the majority wrong. Du Plessis beat Whittaker via TKO in the second round and secured himself a shot at the title. It was supposed to be against his bitter rival, Israel Adesanya. Adesanya already had a date only two months later. Du Plessis couldn’t take the fight because he suffered a leg injury. Because the UFC wanted Adesanya to fight in Australia, Sean Strickland got his chance to step in.
Strickland shocked the world by beating Adesanya after five rounds via unanimous decision. Du Plessis knew a fight with Adesanya had to wait, and he took on champion Strickland. Du Plessis won via split decision and became the middleweight champ. The UFC still wanted Du Plessis to fight Adesanya and made that fight again. Du Plessis struggled but was able to get the submission win in the fourth round. The South African fighter went on to beat Strickland again in a rematch. But in his third defense of the belt, it went the wrong way. Khamzat Chimaev was too strong. The Chechen fighter won via unanimous decision. On July 18, it will be the first time Du Plessis returns to the UFC since that loss.
The Nigerian Nightmare 2.0
He takes on a surprising opponent in Kamaru Usman. The Nigerian fighter is one of the best welterweights to ever fight in the UFC. The former champion reigned supreme in the division from 2019 to 2021, defending the title five times. Usman lost his belt in the final moments of his fight against Leon Edwards in 2022. He also lost the rematch in 2023 and then moved up to take a short-notice fight against Khamzat Chimaev. Usman struggled early on but was able to give Chimaev one of his toughest fights in the UFC. He still lost by majority decision.
After that fight, Usman didn’t return until June of last year. As an underdog, he took on Joaquin Buckley. The old Usman showed up again. He fought a very smart fight with lots of wrestling and ground control. Usman won via unanimous decision and broke his bad streak. There were talks about Usman challenging Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title, but instead, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ is going to try his luck at middleweight against Du Plessis.
UFC Oklahoma City – July 18
- Dricus Du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman
- Jared Cannonier vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
- Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline
- Kevin Holland vs. Jacobe Smith
- Brad Tavares vs. Marc-André Barriault
- Veronica Hardy vs. Dione Barbosa
- Jose Delgado vs. Austin Bashi
- Chase Hooper vs. Mitch Ramirez
- Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani vs. SeokHyeon Ko
- Alden Coria vs. Stewart Nicoll
- Tommy McMillen vs. Alberto Montes
- Alvin Hines vs. Allen Frye Jr.
- Felipe Franco vs. Levi Rodrigues Jr.
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman Headlines Oklahoma City