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Dricus du Plessis returned to winning ways with a dominant five-round unanimous decision over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC Fight Night 281 in Oklahoma City, landing 123 strikes and defending all seven takedown attempts to score 50-45, 49-46, 49-46 and re-enter the middleweight title conversation.
Oklahoma City, United States: The Paycom Center had waited nearly a decade for the UFC to return to its doors, and on the night it did, Dricus du Plessis gave the Oklahoma crowd a performance worth the wait. The South African walked into the main event carrying the weight of his first UFC loss — a one-sided dismantling by Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 last August that had stripped him of the middleweight title and ended an 11-fight winning streak — and he walked out of it with every answer the division needed to hear.
Usman, a Hall of Fame-bound welterweight making only his second middleweight appearance, came in with a point to prove of his own. Having taken that first middleweight shot against Chimaev on ten days’ notice, this was a proper 185-pound audition. It was not the one he was hoping for.
Early Damage, Early Dominance
Du Plessis did not take long to establish his physical superiority. In the opening rounds, his clubbing right hands — the same punches that earned him the ‘Stillknocks’ nickname — repeatedly wobbled Usman, who found himself compromised almost immediately after one caught him behind the ear. Usman confirmed after the fight that a punch to the eye early in the contest had blurred his vision, adding another layer of misfortune to an already difficult evening.
Despite being hurt early, Usman’s durability — the quality that made him one of the most feared welterweights of his era — kept him upright and competitive. He worked his jab, attempted seven takedowns across the night, and refused to yield. But du Plessis defended every single one, a statistic that told its own story about how far “Stillknocks” has evolved as a complete fighter.
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The Strike Count That Said Everything
The numbers were stark. Du Plessis landed 123 total strikes across the five rounds compared to Usman’s 88, nearly doubling his opponent in output at several points during the contest. More telling than the volume was the power behind those shots — Usman was visibly hurt in the first two rounds and again in the fourth, each time showing the kind of resilience that speaks to his elite pedigree while also underlining just how much punishment du Plessis was able to inflict.
By the championship rounds, Usman was still competing but the scorecards were never in doubt. When the final horn sounded, the three judges delivered a resounding verdict: 50-45, 49-46, 49-46 in favour of du Plessis. It was a result that reflected the margin of dominance on the night.
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The Title Picture Sharpens
In the octagon after the fight, du Plessis was characteristically measured about what the win means for his immediate future. Before the event he had made his position clear — that the performance, not just the result, would dictate whether he had earned another shot at the gold he once held. He delivered that performance in Oklahoma City.
The middleweight division now faces a compelling question. Sean Strickland holds the belt after delivering one of the biggest upsets in the sport, dethroning Chimaev in a gripping contest that went the distance. Du Plessis, who has beaten Strickland twice — once in a split decision and once in a dominant rematch at UFC 312 — now stands as the most credible challenger in the division. Chimaev, meanwhile, is pushing for an immediate rematch of his own, setting up a title-picture logjam that the UFC will need to untangle in the coming months.
In the co-main event, England’s Christian Leroy Duncan collected the biggest win of his career, outworking veteran contender Jared Cannonier across three rounds to run his winning streak to five. Duncan was the quicker, more varied striker throughout, and his unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) has inserted him firmly into the top-ten conversation at 185 pounds.
Result: Dricus du Plessis def. Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) — Round 5, 5:00
Performance of the Night: Dricus du Plessis & Kamaru Usman (main event); Tommy McMillen (preliminary card)
Co-Main Event: Christian Leroy Duncan def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
