Former title challenger Jared Cannonier returns to the Octagon on July 18 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The 42-year-old fighter takes on Christian Leroy Duncan in the UFC middleweight division.
The fight takes place at the Paycom Center. Multiple sources confirmed the booking to Heavy.com after an initial report by Magic M on X.
Veteran Cannonier Needs A Win To Challenge The Top Eight
Jared Cannonier is the current #11 contender in the UFC middleweight division. The fighter out of Dallas, Texas, returns for the first time since he lost last August against Michael Page. In a frustrating fight for Cannonier, he dropped a close unanimous decision to the British fighter. It was Cannonier’s third loss in his last four fights. At the beginning of last year, he had a great comeback win against Gregory Rodrigues.
Cannonier’s best period in the UFC was between 2018 and 2023. He won seven out of nine fights, with wins against former champion and legend Anderson Silva and current middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Cannonier hopes that a win against Christian Leroy Duncan can get him back on track to get a new opportunity later this year against someone in the top eight of the division.
Duncan Looks For The Biggest Win In His Career
For Duncan, the fight with Cannonier is by far the biggest in his career. The former Cage Warriors champion came with lots of hype to the UFC in 2023. The then-unbeaten fighter won his debut against Duško Todorović but lost his sophomore fight in the UFC against Armen Petrosyan. Duncan bounced back with stoppage wins against Denis Tiuliulin and Claudio Ribeiro and got in front of his home fans a big opportunity to take on Gregory Rodrigues. Duncan didn’t show up for that fight and lost a clear unanimous decision.
Since that loss, Duncan has looked much better. In 2025, the British fighter won three fights in a row. He beat the tough Andrey Pulyaev via unanimous decision, but got his hype back in his fights against Eryk Anders and Marco Tulio. After securing back-to-back violent stoppages, he was rewarded by the UFC with a big opportunity to fight Roman Dolidze inside the rankings. Duncan beat Dolidze via unanimous decision earlier this year. Currently sitting at #13, Duncan will look to climb even higher in the rankings with a victory over Cannonier.
Main Event
The main event for UFC Oklahoma City has not been officially announced. Dricus Du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman is the rumored main event for the card. For Du Plessis, this would mark his first appearance since losing his title to Khamzat Chimaev last year. Meanwhile, Usman won his most recent bout against Joaquin Buckley, snapping a three-fight losing skid. If the matchup with Du Plessis is finalized, the former welterweight king will officially make the move up to the middleweight division.
UFC Oklahoma City – July 18
- Jared Cannonier vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
- Amanda Ribas vs. Fatima Kline
- Kevin Holland vs. Jacobe Smith
- Brad Tavares vs. Marc-André Barriault
- Dione Barbosa vs. Veronica Hardy
- Chase Hooper vs. Mitch Ramirez
- Alden Coria vs. Stewart Nicoll
- Alvin Hines vs. Allen Frye Jr.
- Felipe Franco vs. Levi Rodrigues Jr.
Former Title Challenger Returns at UFC Oklahoma City