This weekend marks UFC‘s return to Oklahoma, with the promotion staging UFC Oklahoma tomorrow evening (Sat. July 18, 2026) LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The main event features a clash of former champions: former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis meets former UFC welterweight king Kamaru Usman.
It may not seem like a huge matchup compared to some of UFC’s other recent main events, but DDP vs. Usman is pretty important for a few reasons. This is not only the first time fight fans are seeing du Plessis in action after he coughed up his 185-pound title against Khamzat Chimaev back at UFC 319, but it will also mark the first time Usman is competing at middleweight with a full camp.
Remember, Usman stepped in on short notice back at UFC 294 to fight Chimaev at 185 pounds. Usman lost via majority decision, but the veteran looked pretty damn good (albeit that was almost three years ago). On Friday, du Plessis and Usman successfully hit the 186-pound benchmark during early morning weigh ins.
As the Octagon returns to Oklahoma City for the first time in nearly a decade this Saturday, former champions collide in a middleweight crossroads bout with massive implications for the 185-pound title picture. Khamzat Chimaev handed “Stillknocks” a brutal, one-sided loss that ended his 11-fight winning run and cost him his middleweight strap, and he comes into Saturday night with a point to prove.
Du Plessis built his championship resume on a smothering, blitz-heavy striking style and immense physical durability, qualities that have delivered him wins over the likes of Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. The 70¢ (70% chance) price on him to win outright highlights the market’s confidence in his natural size advantage and historical rate of output at 185 pounds. The real question lies in seeing how his chaotic forward pressure holds up against elite wrestling after having his takedown defense heavily compromised in his last outing.
If you believe his raw, awkward power will quickly overwhelm a smaller opponent who has absorbed a tremendous amount of career damage, du Plessis by KO/TKO @ 37¢ (37% chance) is an interesting angle. Usman is making his first full-camp appearance at middleweight after a 13-month layoff and is looking to jump-start his 2026 campaign by instantly inserting himself in the 185-pound title mix.
The former welterweight pound-for-pound king still has an elite, controlling jab and suffocating top control, weapons that are perfectly suited to neutralize Du Plessis’s wild striking flurries. But “The Nigerian Nightmare,” with aging knees that have gone down the drain, faces a brutal physical challenge in the form of a naturally bigger, super durable brawler. KO/TKO at 25¢ (25% chance) might be tempting for some payout hunters, but Usman’s best shot at a 31¢ (31% chance) outright victory comes from relying on his veteran savvy, using the clinch along the cage to sap the South African’s cardio, and turning the bout into a grinding war of attrition.
