Dricus Du Plessis Outworks Kamaru Usman Through Five Rounds At UFC OKC
Despite an extreme display of heart from Kamaru Usman, Dricus du Plessis managed to keep tonight’s main event on the feet and punish the former welterweight champion with heavy strikes at UFC Fight Night Oklahoma City.
While ‘DDP’ was unable to finish Usman in this fight with heavy title implications, he put the former 170-pound king in a world of trouble on multiple occasions, mainly due to a heavy volume of dynamic strikes. Through a mixture of knees, power punches, and high kicks which his opponent couldn’t see coming, Du Plessis staggered Usman to the point of survival mode several times. Midway through the second round, it was mentioned by the commentary team, that Du Plessis had never looked better, and no one had ever put Usman in this much consistent trouble through the course of a match.
That kick is LANDING 👀
[ #UFCOKC is LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Pn9yvalRyH
— UFC (@ufc) July 19, 2026
By the time the pair reached the fifth and final round, the clear difference maker was that Du Plessis found a way to read his opponent’s movements and attacks, then follow up with a different counter each time. Meanwhile Usman, who threw mostly punches, was left guessing what would come next constantly, which resulted in many moments of compromised stability.
Through this matchup, ‘DDP’ earned his first UFC victory since his 2025 middleweight title defense over Sean Strickland. Because of the dominant nature in which Du Plessis secured this victory, he feels he deserves a shot at facing Strickland once again, this time in an attempt to regain the belt. Given his current rank at No. 2 in the division, it is quite possible this match could materialize next.
The South African has squared off with Strickland on two occasions in the past. In the first, Du Plessis secured the close split decision to earn the 185-pound strap. He then faced him again in the aforementioned rematch in 2025, where he successfully defended his belt in another decision victory, before falling short against Khamzat Chimaev and losing the title later that year.
Full UFC Fight Night Oklahoma City Results
Main Card:
Dricus Du Plessis def. Kamaru Usman via Decision (Unanimous) – 50-45, 49-46, 49-46
Christian Leroy Duncan def. Jared Cannonier via Decision (Unanimous)
Chase Hooper def. Mitch Ramirez via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) – Round 1, 2:15
Fatima Kline def. Tabatha Ricci via Decision (Unanimous)
Tommy McMillen def. Alberto Montes via KO (Punches) – Round 3
Prelims
Jose Delgado def. Austin Bashi via Decision (Unanimous)
Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani def. Seok Hyeon Ko via Decision (Unanimous)
Felipe Franco def. Levi Rodrigues Jr. via KO (Mounted Punches) – Round 2, 1:40
Ezra Elliott def. Damien Anderson via Decision (Unanimous)
Alden Coria def. Stewart Nicoll via Decision (Unanimous)
RJ Harris def. Alvin Hines via KO (Uppercut) – Round 1, 1:40
Dione Barbosa def. Anna Melisano via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) – Round 1, 4:04