Dricus du Plessis meets Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City main event

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 14: Kamaru Usman of Nigeria stands in his corner prior to facing Joaquin Buckley in a welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at State Farm Arena on June 14, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) UFC Oklahoma City is taking shape following the main event announcement of Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman. On Tuesday, the UFC announced eight more fights for the July 18 event, which takes place at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. A number of up-and-coming prospects are set to compete in OKC, including featherweight Austin Bashi (14-1), who fights Jose Delgado (11-2), Sean O’Malley featherweight protégé Tommy McMillen (10-0) facing Alberto Montes (12-1), and 25-year-old strawweight Fatima Kline (9-1) facing Tabatha Ricci (12-4). Recent Dana White’s Contender Series signing Levi Rodrigues Jr. (5-0, 1 NC) puts his undefeated record on the line against Felipe Franco (10-2), while Alden Coria (12-3, 1 NC) looks to improve to 3-0 in the UFC when he fights the slumping Stewart Nicoll (8-3). Other bouts announced Tuesday include Allen Frye Jr. vs. Alvin Hines, Chase Hooper vs. Mitch Ramirez, and Veronica Hardy vs. Dione Barbosa. See the updated UFC Oklahoma City lineup below. Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman Jared Cannonier vs. Christian Leroy Duncan Kevin Holland vs. Jacobe Smith Alden Coria vs. Stewart Nicoll Austin Bashi vs. Jose Delgado Tommy McMillen vs. Alberton Montes Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline Levi Rodrigues Jr. vs. Felipe Franco Allen Frye Jr. Vs. Alvin Hines Chase Hooper vs. MItch Ramirez Veronica Hardy vs. Dione Barbosa

Former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis returns to the octagon on July 18 in the UFC Fight Night 281 main event against former welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman. It will be Du Plessis' first fight since losing the title to Khamzat Chimaev last August. Usman called for the fight months ...

A pair of former champions headline UFC Fight Nigh 281 in Oklahoma City on July 18. Former middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis (23-3) faces former welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman (21-4) at Paycom Center in a middleweight match. The fight promotion announced the news on Saturday. For Du ...

A pivotal middleweight showdown takes center stage in the promotion's return to the Sooner State

Looks like Kamaru Usman signed the contract after all. A middleweight main event between Usman and fellow former UFC champion, Dricus du Plessis, has been booked to headline UFC’s upcoming Fight Night card on July 18 from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The 185-pound headliner was announced during Saturday’s broadcast of UFC Vegas 119 (results HERE). It’s […]

Dricus du Plessis returns at UFC Oklahoma City

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 09: Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa reacts after a unanimous-decision victory against Sean Strickland in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 312 event at Qudos Bank Arena on February 09, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Dricus du Plessis is facing a former champion in his return to the octagon, but it’s a former welterweight titleholder. The UFC announced Saturday night that du Plessis is set to face Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City. The card takes place July 18 at the Paycom Center, and serves as the first time the promotion has hosted an event in Oklahoma City in nearly a decade. Du Plessis competes for the first time since losing the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 this past August. “Stillknocks” defeated Sean Strickland to win the belt at UFC 297 in January 2024, and successfully defended it against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August 2024, and Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312 in February 2025. Usman makes the move up to 185 with hopes of putting himself in a position to capture a second world title. In his most recent bout, Usman picked up his first win in nearly four years with a dominant decision win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta in June 2025. “The Nigerian Nightmare” competed in the middleweight division before, stepping in on short notice to drop a competitive decision against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in October 2023.

Kamaru Usman is returning to middleweight of face fellow former champ Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC Oklahoma City main event.