Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis will be gunning for yet another title shot when he takes on Kamaru Usman at UFC Fight Night at the Paycom Centre in Oklahoma City on Sunday morning.
Main card set to commence at 2am (CAT, GMT+2).
Du Plessis will head into his latest fight as a former middleweight title holder, having recorded two successful defences of the belt in a memorable run in the UFC over the last couple of years.
The 32-year-old lost the middleweight belt on 16 August 2025, suffering a unanimous decision defeat against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC319 in Chicago, Illinois.
Before his loss against Chimaev, Stillknocks recorded impressive victories over high-profile names such as Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya, becoming one of the promotion’s biggest stars in the process.
Usman, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest welterweights in UFC history, made five successful title defences in the division before moving to middleweight in 2023.
In his middleweight debut, the 39-year-old suffered a Majority Decision loss against Chimaev at UFC294 in October 2023 before briefly returning to the welterweight class.
The Nigerian last fought on 14 June 2025, recording a Unanimous Decision win against Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN: Usman v Buckley, where he claimed the Fight of the Night award.
Reflecting on the bout against Usman, Du Plessis believes a stunning victory will grab the attention of the UFC bosses as he plots a return to the title-winning column in the near future.
"I don't believe a victory alone can be enough," Du Plessis said.
"I think my resume, definitely, but I don't believe just a victory over Usman necessarily gives me a title shot, and the same for him.
“The performance. Going out there and putting on a performance that eliminates any doubt that I'm the best in the world, that's what's going to guarantee me a shot at that title."
UFC Fight Night main card:
Dricus Du Plessis v Kamaru Usman (Main event – middleweight)
Jared Cannonier v Christian Duncan (Co-main – middleweight)
Chase Hooper v Mitch Ramirez (Lightweight)
Tabatha Ricci v Fatima Kline (Women’s strawweight)
Tommy McMillen v Alberto Montes (Featherweight)