Dricus Du Plessis returned to the win column last weekend, earning a unanimous decision victory over Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma.
The bout, broadcast on Paramount+, marked the first fight for both former champions since 2025. With the win, Du Plessis improved his professional record to 24-3.
Usman said a thumb to the eye affected him during the fight. “He was big, he was strong, he was rangy. So, it was a little tough to get going. I took kind of a thumb-punch in the eye early on, and that kind of blurred the vision a bit. But no excuses. It is what it is. I was pretty compromised. Like I said, he’s a big boy, and when you start seeing two of the big boys, and he’s got kind of a weird, rangy shots. So it’s a little delayed to get out of the way of those shots, seeing them. But no excuses. It’s tough to be on this side. I’m not used to being on this side. So yeah, it kind of sucks.”
Du Plessis’ coach Morne Visser praised his fighter’s composure. “The gameplan was 100 percent to completely stay composed and that’s what he did,” Visser said, later adding, “I think this is the best I’ve seen Dricus ever. This was a high pressure fight. I mean, this was our comeback fight after 10, 11 months off. So, I’m very happy.”
Du Plessis is a former UFC middleweight champion, while Usman is a former UFC welterweight champion with knockout wins over Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns.
