Jul 18, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dricus Du Plessis (red gloves) celebrates defeating Kamaru Usman (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Dricus Du Plessis celebrates defeating Kamaru Usman during UFC Fight Night at the Paycom Center in the US state of Oklahoma [Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images]

By Reuters

This article was published on 19 Jul 202619 Jul 2026.

The UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City saw former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis return to action after nearly a year away.

Dricus Du Plessis ‌has leaned on his South African roots in his first fight in nearly a year ⁠to secure ⁠a victory by unanimous decision over Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman in the middleweight main event of UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City.

The judges on Saturday ⁠scored the bout 50-45, 49-46, 49-46 in favour of Du Plessis (24-3 MMA), who won his first nine UFC bouts and held the middleweight belt ⁠from January 2024 until mid-August last year.

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Du Plessis hadn’t fought since that winning streak was snapped by Khamzat Chimaev, who remains champion.

“I had to get up,” the 32-year-old said. “There’s so many South African kids that look ‌up to me.

“It’s bigger than me. I can’t go lie down.”

Jul 18, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dricus Du Plessis (red gloves) fights Kamaru Usman (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Dricus Du Plessis, right, fights Kamaru Usman in his first fight in 11 months after losing his middleweight belt [Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images via Reuters]

The fight stayed on the feet with no takedowns or submission attempts. Du Plessis showed no rust, holding a 139-99 advantage in total strikes and landing 136 significant strikes to Usman's 92.

Usman (21-5) was the UFC welterweight champion from March 2019 to November 2021. ⁠However, the Nigerian, 39, has lost four of ⁠his last five fights and couldn’t add a second straight win in his first fight in 13 months this weekend.

In the middleweight co-main, England's Christian Leroy Duncan (15-2) beat Jared Cannonier (18-10) by unanimous decision, with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

With this win, Du Plessis moves back into title contention, though champion Khamzat Chimaev remains a looming threat. For Usman, the loss extends a worrying slide, having dropped four of his last five bouts. The result also underscores the growing impact of South African fighters on the global MMA stage.