Prévia UFC Oklahoma City: Previsões de 'Du Plessis vs. Usman' — Federação de Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Oklahoma City mixed martial arts (MMA) event, set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., July 18, 2026) on Paramount+ from inside Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, featuring a middleweight main event between former 185-pound champion, Dricus Du Plessis, and ex-welterweight titleholder, Kamaru Usman, a five-round headliner with major title implications for late 2026 and beyond.

Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the 185-pound slugfest between middleweight maulers Jared Cannonier and Christian Leroy Duncan, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Oklahoma City main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Du Plessis vs. Usman” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Oklahoma City live results and play-by-play click here.

185 lbs.: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman

Dricus “Stillknocks” Du Plessis
Record: 23-3 | Age: 32 | Betting line: -230
Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 11 SUB, 3 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 1 DEC
Height: 6’1“ | Reach: 76” | Stance: Switch
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.18 | Striking accuracy: 48%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 4.33 | Striking Defense: 52%
Takedown Average: 2.22 (51% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 34%
Current Ranking: No. 2 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev

Kamaru “Nigerian Nightmare” Usman
Record: 21-4 | Age: 39 | Betting line: +190
Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 11 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 6’0“ | Reach: 76” | Stance: Switch
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.16 | Striking accuracy: 51%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 2.67 | Striking Defense: 55%
Takedown Average: 2.79 (44% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 89%
Current Ranking: No. 10 (welterweight) | Last fight: Unanimous decision victory over Joaquin Buckley

Dricus Du Plessis makes his first appearance in nearly a year, an attempt to rebound from his disastrous showing against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago. I think the loss shook Du Plessis as much as it did fans because we’ve never seen “Stillknocks” look so utterly helpless. The South African slugger has certainly had his share of close fights but Chimaev made him look like some chump they pulled out of the fourth row roughly 10 minutes before the event. That raises a fair amount of concern for his comeback fight against Kamaru Usman, who does not have the size of a middleweight but compensates with his championship experience and top-shelf wrestling attack.

“So, I think he’s going to try to wrestle with us — I don’t think he’s got the balls to stand up with Dricus,”coach Morne Visser told Fight Forecast. “We all saw what Dricus did to Khamzat. He clipped him I think two or three times and he almost took his head off. He just wanted to be on the floor and held on to Dricus. Never even one submission attempt.”

Usman fell in love with his hands in recent years which is understandable considering his striking coach is Trevor Wittman, leading to knockout wins over Gilbert Burns, Jorge Masvidal, and Colby Covington. Getting back to his wresting roots helped propel Usman to a commanding decision against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta, a fight where “New Mansa” struggled to get off the canvas like a newborn calf. While it was an impressive performance, it was also back in June 2025; which isn’t ancient history by any means — unless you’re a 14-year MMA veteran who is 39 years old.

“It has been a running joke about knees,” Usman told CBS Sports. “I have had even worse injuries than that. It is what it is. Let them keep joking. I just have to go in there and prove them wrong every time. As a welterweight, when you have to cut the weight and really diet to go through that process of getting down, you build a way to sustain that energy and how to be efficient in the fight. I think when I went in there in that middleweight bout with Khamzat Chimaev, I was still kind of trying to operate on that type of efficiency. Next thing you know, it’s two and a half rounds in and it feels like Round 1 to me. I should’ve taken five [rounds]. I should’ve really given myself the time. I think it’s just having that extra reserve of not having to deplete yourself so much. It was great for me and I’m interested to see how that plays a factor here when I’m going against a big, strong, heavy guy that fights hard all of the 25 minutes.”

Usman over-performed against Chimaev in a short-notice bout at UFC 294 back in late 2023 and I think too many people are using that as a base for Usman’s middleweight capabilities. The counter to that is Chimaev also struggled against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, so it probably had more to do with the adjustments (or lack thereof) from “Borz.” The inability to stop the takedown — as well as Du Plessis’ complete helplessness on the ground — has kept the betting line from ballooning out of control. That said, Usman is not Chimaev when it comes to top control and Du Plessis has a considerable size advantage. “Stillknocks” is also seven years younger and fighting in his athletic prime, so it’s hard for me to envision a scenario where he doesn’t run away with this fight in the second half of the contest.

Prediction: Du Plessis def. Usman by unanimous decision

185 lbs.: Jared Cannonier vs. Christian Leroy Duncan

Jared “Killa Gorilla” Cannonier
Record: 18-9 | Age: 42 | Betting line: +285
Wins: 11 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 5 DEC | Losses: 3 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 6 DEC
Height: 5’11“ | Reach: 77” | Stance: Switch
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.42 | Striking accuracy: 49%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 4.35 | Striking Defense: 56%
Takedown Average: 0.54 (40% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 64%
Current Ranking: No. 11 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Michael Page

Christian Leroy Duncan

Fonte: MMA Mania — leia o original