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

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.