UFC Fight Night: du Plessis vs. Usman Recap: Full Results and Analysis
Dricus du Plessis walked into Paycom Center as a man with something to prove. Eight months removed from losing the UFC middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev, the South African needed a win that put him back in the title conversation. He delivered it in Oklahoma City on July 18, 2026, against Kamaru Usman. Du Plessis controlled all five rounds, taking a unanimous decision by scores of 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46. The bout earned Fight of the Night honors. The UFC's first event in Oklahoma City since June 2017 had its headline result.
This was not the Usman who dismantled the welterweight division across a four-year title reign. The former five-time champion has lost four of his last six, and the transition to middleweight has not reversed the slide. Against du Plessis, who matched him physically and outpaced him at every range, Usman had no answers. Du Plessis wobbled him with strikes and knees in multiple rounds, pressed forward consistently, and showed no sign of ring rust despite the extended layoff.
Full Results
| Fight | Winner | Method | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Du Plessis vs. Usman | Dricus du Plessis | Decision (Unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Duncan vs. Cannonier | Christian Leroy Duncan | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Hooper vs. Ramirez | Chase Hooper | Submission (RNC) | 1 | 2:15 |
| Kline vs. Ricci | Fatima Kline | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| McMillen vs. Montes | Tommy McMillen | TKO (Punches) | 3 | 3:29 |
| Delgado vs. Bashi | Jose Miguel Delgado | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Lebosnoyani vs. Ko | — | Result pending | — | — |
| Franco vs. Rodrigues | Felipe Franco | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 1:40 |
| Elliott vs. Anderson | Ezra Elliott | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Coria vs. Nicoll | Alden Coria | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Barbosa vs. Melisano | Dione Barbosa | Submission (RNC) | 1 | 4:04 |
Main Event: du Plessis Returns
Du Plessis vs. Usman was a matchup of former champions with different things to gain. For du Plessis, it was a chance to prove his title reign was not defined by its ending. For Usman, it was a chance to show the move to middleweight could produce wins at a meaningful level. Only one of them made use of the night.
Du Plessis was sharper from the start, landing the harder shots and controlling the distance with footwork and length. Usman worked the clinch in rounds two and four but could not generate the volume to shift momentum. By the championship rounds, du Plessis had established clear control. The 50-45 scorecard from one judge reflected how the fight read. The other two cards — 49-46 — acknowledged Usman's moments without overvaluing them.
The win puts du Plessis back in the middleweight title picture. The logical next step is a rematch with Khamzat Chimaev, who took the belt from him last August. Whether Chimaev's next defense goes that direction depends on the champion's options, but du Plessis has made the clearest argument available: a five-round unanimous decision over a former world champion, from which he was never meaningfully in danger.
Co-Main Event: Duncan Builds His Case
Christian Leroy Duncan extended his UFC winning streak to five with a unanimous decision over Jared Cannonier. Cannonier carries legitimate knockout power at middleweight, but Duncan controlled the range and mixed his offense effectively across three rounds. The scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 were clean. Duncan has beaten a former title challenger, and the contender rankings at middleweight should reflect that.
Prelim Highlights
Tommy McMillen earned one of the night's Performance of the Night bonuses with a TKO finish of Alberto Montes at 3:29 of round three. McMillen's volume was relentless across all three rounds — Montes spent the final ninety seconds absorbing punishment — and the featherweight's output reportedly set a UFC record for significant strikes in a three-round bout at the weight class. It is back-to-back finishes for McMillen.
Chase Hooper snapped a two-fight losing streak with a first-round rear-naked choke at 2:15. He took Mitch Ramirez down quickly and moved to the back without an extended scramble.
Felipe Franco earned the other Performance of the Night bonus with a TKO at 1:40 of round two over Levi Rodrigues. Franco went forward with pressure from the opening bell and produced the finish at the midpoint of the second round.
Dione Barbosa submitted Anna Melisano via rear-naked choke in round one after her original opponent was pulled from the card.
Bonus Awards
- Fight of the Night: Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman
- Performance of the Night: Tommy McMillen, Felipe Franco
What's Next
Du Plessis has done what he needed to do. A five-round unanimous decision over a former welterweight world champion — with two judges returning 50-45 — makes the rematch argument for him. The Chimaev fight is the destination. The timeline is Chimaev's to set.
Usman, 37 years old and four losses in his last six, is running out of routes to relevance at the championship level. He is not done competing, but the picture at middleweight has shown him its ceiling.
Christian Leroy Duncan's five-win streak earns him a ranked opponent. The division should provide one.