Du Plessis and Usman set to headline UFC Oklahoma City in former champions clash

Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman will headline UFC Fight Night 281 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, the promotion confirmed on Saturday. The two former middleweight champions will square off in a 185-pound matchup that carries significant divisional weight for both men.

Du Plessis steps back into the Octagon for the first time since August, when he lost the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev via lopsided unanimous decision at UFC 319. Before that defeat, the South African had gone 9-0 inside the Octagon, racking up wins over Sean Strickland (twice), Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson, and Darren Till to establish himself as one of the division’s most formidable forces.

Usman, meanwhile, returns for the first time since outpointing Joaquin Buckley in a headliner last June. Speculation had linked “The Nigerian Nightmare” to a title shot against Islam Makhachev, but those plans did not materialise, leaving him in need of a high-profile win to reassert his position in the rankings.

Usman’s own championship legacy is considerable. He claimed the middleweight title with a five-round decision over Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 and went on to make five successful defences before losing the belt to Leon Edwards in August 2022. A victory over Du Plessis would put him firmly back in the title conversation.

For Du Plessis, the fight represents a chance to prove his UFC 319 defeat was an aberration rather than a turning point. Facing a former champion of Usman’s calibre — and winning convincingly — would go a long way toward rebuilding his case for another shot at the middleweight crown.