UFC Oklahoma main event features Du Plessis and Usman
The UFC is set to return to Oklahoma City this weekend, with a main event featuring former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The event will take place at Paycom Center and will be broadcast live on Paramount+.
This matchup marks a significant return for both fighters. For du Plessis, it is his first appearance since losing his 185-pound title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. Usman will be competing at middleweight with a full training camp, a new venture for him in the division.
Usman previously stepped in on short notice at UFC 294 to fight Chimaev at 185 pounds, where he lost by majority decision. Du Plessis and Usman both successfully made weight for the event, hitting the 186-pound benchmark during early morning weigh-ins. The ceremonial weigh-ins are scheduled to stream live and free tonight, beginning at 5 p.m. ET.
Du Plessis reflects on recent loss and return
Du Plessis, who has a record of three losses in 26 career fights, is entering this bout following a loss for the first time in a dozen fights. He lost the UFC middleweight title to Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago last summer. After a period away from the octagon, the South African fighter is ready to compete again.
Du Plessis expressed his disappointment over losing his belt, stating, “Obviously, I was devastated, it was horrible; losing my belt, losing in general, I’m not good with that.” He emphasized the importance of how a fighter responds to setbacks, noting that he and his team thoroughly analyzed what went wrong in his previous fight.
“Me and my whole team sat down with each other to say, ‘What did I do wrong? What is my fault?’ and treated it like it was 100-percent my fault, which it was,” du Plessis explained. He believes this honest self-assessment and collective accountability are crucial for improvement. He added that no excuses would help, and they needed to understand what went wrong to prevent it from happening again.
Du Plessis views the loss as a learning experience that will help him achieve his goal of becoming a great martial artist. He believes that having weaknesses exposed now allows him to fix them. He had initially planned to return to competition sooner, even traveling to Thailand in January to train, but an injury forced a delay. This extended downtime allowed him to recover and be more selective with his activity.
“It’s not about just getting in fights — it’s about fighting the right guys, making the fights count,” du Plessis said, reflecting on his approach to scheduling fights. He is eager to demonstrate his improvements in the upcoming fight, stating, “Everybody is keen to see what the 2.0 ‘Stillknocks’ is looking like, and I’m keen to see — well, I know what it’s gonna look like; I’m just keen to go and show it off.”
Usman’s middleweight ambitions
Usman’s fight against du Plessis marks his first full-time move to the middleweight division. His previous middleweight appearance was a short-notice fight against Chimaev at UFC 294, where he pushed the wrestler to the end before losing by majority decision. He later returned to welterweight, ending a three-fight skid with a decision win over Joaquin Buckley.
Now, Usman is focused on pursuing a second title in a new weight class. Du Plessis holds respect for his opponent, acknowledging Usman as a legend in the sport. He stated, “Then doing it against a legend like Kamaru Usman, who is deserving of all the flowers that he’s ever gotten? I have the world’s respect for him and what he has done in this sport.”
The event on Saturday will provide an opportunity for both fighters to advance their careers in the middleweight division.
Fans can watch the main event and the rest of the fight card live on Paramount+.
Source: sports.yahoo.com