Dricus Du Plessis will face Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Fight Night Oklahoma City on July 18th, with the matchup now officially booked after months of rumors.
The bout marks Du Plessis’ first appearance since his loss to Khamzat Chimaev in August 2025, a result that snapped an 11-fight winning streak for the former middleweight champion. Du Plessis says he was originally expected to compete earlier this year but was forced out. "I was supposed to fight in April, got the injury," he said.
According to Du Plessis, the layoff has only intensified his mindset ahead of Oklahoma City. "Man, I think that was all for a reason because the fire in me to get back in there is like never before. I’m feeling great. Camp is going great," he said. "You think you’ve been waiting. I’ve been waiting!"
Du Plessis also claimed the matchup took time to finalize. "We’ve been talking about the fight for a long time," he said, adding, "Now I know you didn’t wanna sign the contract," and, "I know that for a fact. When I spoke to UFC, they said, ‘We’ve finally convinced him to sign.’ If you need convincing to sign, that’s a problem. But I can’t blame him. I would also not wanna fight me right now. It would be the smart move not to sign this fight, but you know, let’s go."
Looking ahead to July 18th, Du Plessis summed up his motivation: "I wanna go out there and prove what I’ve done," and, "Because now I am more complete, and I was a complete fighter. But now I am complete in all areas, and I can’t wait to go and show that."
