Dricus Du Plessis returned from nearly a year away and dominated Kamaru Usman over five rounds in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City, showcasing sharp improvements and earning a $100,000 Fight of the Night bonus.
Du Plessis controlled the bout across all five rounds, notably displaying improved defensive wrestling as he defended most of Usman’s takedown attempts at UFC Oklahoma City.
Afterward, Du Plessis opened up about the mental battle that followed his previous loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. “I was definitely in a slump. It wasn’t life-altering — well, it was life altering,” he said, later adding, “I have to thank, firstly, my parents, my brothers, my team, my coaches, my structure that I have.”
He also pointed to his faith and the responsibility he feels toward fans back home. “And then, of course, my religion, turning to God in these situations, that’s the only thing that can get you through that, because no person can make you feel better, because nobody understands what you are going through. And I found my strength there once again, and I had to get up. There was there’s so many South Africans, especially kids, that look up to me and go, ‘Look what he’s done.’ It’s bigger than me. I can’t go lie down.”
Du Plessis said he and his team specifically targeted his wrestling after the Chimaev fight. “And, you know, after that [last] fight, my wrestling did suck. I looked at that and I’m like, ‘You suck, bro. What are you doing?’ … It’s my fault. You have to take that responsibility, and we as a team took that responsibility, and we fixed that.”
