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.
