- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,231,366
- Reaction score
- 59
Dricus Du Plessis returned to the win column with dominant performance over one of the UFC's all-time greats.
Atop UFC Fight Night 281 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Du Plessis (24-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC) defeated former welterweight king Kamaru Usman (21-5 MMA, 16-4 UFC) by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46).
Du Plessis, 32, put forth his usual, unorthodox attack. He came at Usman with big, explosive power and nontraditional technique. Usman was rocked a half-dozen-or-so times throughout the bout but survived each near-finish and continued to move forward. Du Plessis' best round was likely the second, as he rocked Usman on multiple occasions and seemed to be the closest to finishing the fight that he got during the 25-minute bout.
Usman had a flurry deep into the fifth round that sent Du Plessis retreating to the cage, but it was too little, too late.
Upon the reading of the official decision, Usman looked puzzled as he tried to gauge the opinion of post-fight interviewer Daniel Cormier. He said during his post-fight interview that it was an-off night for him and that he still can compete with the best in the world.
Usman, 39, moves to 1-4 in his most recent five fights. Prior to Saturday, he hadn't competed since a June 2025 win over Joaquin Buckley at welterweight.
Du Plessis bounces back from a loss to Khamzat Chimaev in August 2025. Du Plessis lost the middleweight title in the bout, snapping his title defense streak at two.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Oklahoma City results: Dricus Du Plessis pieces up Kamaru Usman
Continue reading...
Atop UFC Fight Night 281 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Du Plessis (24-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC) defeated former welterweight king Kamaru Usman (21-5 MMA, 16-4 UFC) by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46).
Du Plessis, 32, put forth his usual, unorthodox attack. He came at Usman with big, explosive power and nontraditional technique. Usman was rocked a half-dozen-or-so times throughout the bout but survived each near-finish and continued to move forward. Du Plessis' best round was likely the second, as he rocked Usman on multiple occasions and seemed to be the closest to finishing the fight that he got during the 25-minute bout.
Usman had a flurry deep into the fifth round that sent Du Plessis retreating to the cage, but it was too little, too late.
Upon the reading of the official decision, Usman looked puzzled as he tried to gauge the opinion of post-fight interviewer Daniel Cormier. He said during his post-fight interview that it was an-off night for him and that he still can compete with the best in the world.
Usman, 39, moves to 1-4 in his most recent five fights. Prior to Saturday, he hadn't competed since a June 2025 win over Joaquin Buckley at welterweight.
Du Plessis bounces back from a loss to Khamzat Chimaev in August 2025. Du Plessis lost the middleweight title in the bout, snapping his title defense streak at two.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 281 results:
- Dricus Du Plessis def. Kamaru Usman via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
- Christian Leroy Duncan def. Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Chase Hooper def. Mitch Ramirez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:15
- Fatima Kline def. Tabatha Ricci via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tommy McMillen def. Alberto Montes via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:29
- Jose Delgado def. Austin Bashi via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani def. Seokhyeon Ko via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Felipe Franco def. Levi Rodrigues via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:40
- Ezra Elliott def. Damien Anderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Alden Coria def. Stewart Nicoll via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- RJ Harris def. Alvin Hines via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:40
- Dione Barbosa def. Alice Melisano via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:04
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Oklahoma City results: Dricus Du Plessis pieces up Kamaru Usman
Continue reading...
