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Kamaru Usman is returning to the middleweight division and getting a chance to jump right into title contention against a former champion.
Former welterweight titleholder Usman will face Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC Fight Night 281 on July 18 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK. The entire card streams on Paramount+.
The promotion announced the five-round headliner between Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) on during Saturday's UFC Fight Night 279 broadcast.
Du Plessis, 32, returns to action for the first time since losing the 185-pound title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August. It was the South African's first defeat inside the octagon, but with two victories over Sean Strickland, he remains one of the top contenders in the weight class and can put himself back in the discussion with a big victory.
Usman, 38, hasn't competed since June when he earned a unanimous decision victory over Joaquin Buckley. That result snapped a three-fight losing skid for "The Nigerian Nightmare," two of which came to Leon Edwards in 170-pound title fights as well as a short-notice defeat to Chimaev at middleweight.
Following the win over Buckley, Usman was pushing for a title shot against Islam Makhachev, but his efforts were unsuccessful and now he changes weight classes
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Oklahoma City: Ex-champs Dricus Du Plessis, Kamaru Usman headline
Continue reading...
Former welterweight titleholder Usman will face Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC Fight Night 281 on July 18 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK. The entire card streams on Paramount+.
The promotion announced the five-round headliner between Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) on during Saturday's UFC Fight Night 279 broadcast.
Du Plessis, 32, returns to action for the first time since losing the 185-pound title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August. It was the South African's first defeat inside the octagon, but with two victories over Sean Strickland, he remains one of the top contenders in the weight class and can put himself back in the discussion with a big victory.
Usman, 38, hasn't competed since June when he earned a unanimous decision victory over Joaquin Buckley. That result snapped a three-fight losing skid for "The Nigerian Nightmare," two of which came to Leon Edwards in 170-pound title fights as well as a short-notice defeat to Chimaev at middleweight.
Following the win over Buckley, Usman was pushing for a title shot against Islam Makhachev, but his efforts were unsuccessful and now he changes weight classes
The latest UFC Fight Night 281 lineup now includes:
- Dricus Du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman
- Fatima Kline vs. Tabatha Ricci
- Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Brad Tavares
- Chase Hooper vs. Mitch Ramirez
- Felipe Franco vs. Levi Rodrigues
- Dione Barbosa vs. Veronica Hardy
- Felipe Franco vs. Levi Rodrigues
- Jared Cannonier vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
- Kevin Holland vs. Jacobe Smith
- Austin Bashi vs. Jose Delgado
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Oklahoma City: Ex-champs Dricus Du Plessis, Kamaru Usman headline
Continue reading...
