Dricus Du Plessis
Stillknocks
South Africa
Gets right back in win column
Du Plessis defeated Kamaru Usman via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Oklahoma City.
ANALYSIS
Du Plessis wasn't competitive his last time out, dropping the UFC Middleweight Championship to Khamzat Chimaev via unanimous decision last August. He predictably got back on track against the 39-year-old Usman as a -215 favorite. DDP did whatever he wanted on the feet through four-plus rounds, hammering Usman with everything but the kitchen sink. He mixed up his shots beautifully and absorbed no real damage in return. Usman made a half-hearted run in the dying minutes, but the fight had long since been decided. Du Plessis caught a huge break when Sean Strickland defeat Chimaev for the 185-pound crown in May. DDP has two victories over Strickland, with one coming as recently as February 2025. There's a non-zero chance this performance will be enough to set up a third fight between the two.
Du Plessis wasn't competitive his last time out, dropping the UFC Middleweight Championship to Khamzat Chimaev via unanimous decision last August. He predictably got back on track against the 39-year-old Usman as a -215 favorite. DDP did whatever he wanted on the feet through four-plus rounds, hammering Usman with everything but the kitchen sink. He mixed up his shots beautifully and absorbed no real damage in return. Usman made a half-hearted run in the dying minutes, but the fight had long since been decided. Du Plessis caught a huge break when Sean Strickland defeat Chimaev for the 185-pound crown in May. DDP has two victories over Strickland, with one coming as recently as February 2025. There's a non-zero chance this performance will be enough to set up a third fight between the two.
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Will headline UFC OKC
Du Plessis will fight Kamaru Usman in a middleweight bout as the main event of UFC OKC on July 18, Nolan King of USA Today reports.
ANALYSIS
Du Plessis last fought when he lost the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev in UFC Chicago on Aug. 17, 2025. He has won nine of his last 10 fights, and at least on paper, he should be considered the favorite against the 38-year-old Usman. Du Plessis owns a 23-3-0 professional MMA record.
Du Plessis last fought when he lost the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev in UFC Chicago on Aug. 17, 2025. He has won nine of his last 10 fights, and at least on paper, he should be considered the favorite against the 38-year-old Usman. Du Plessis owns a 23-3-0 professional MMA record.
Loses middleweight title
Du Plessis lost the middleweight title on Saturday, falling to Khamzat Chimaev via unanimous decision (44-50, 44-50, 44-50), at UFC 319 in Chicago, Illinois.
ANALYSIS
We almost certainly have never seen a dominant champion beaten this soundly. Chimaev got his first takedown within 30 seconds of the fight starting, and didn't look back until the gold was around his waist. Du Plessis was able to get a takedown of his own and some back control late in Round 5, but was never close to turning the tide. It was always assumed that the sloppiness of the former champion's game would come back to haunt him, but few could have imagined a beating like this, as Du Plessis landed single-digit strikes in every frame but the fifth. While it seems odd to say that the South African's next move is uncertain, it's hard to believe he will ever be able to compete with Chimaev, which makes one wonder what kind of fights he will take while "Borz" has the belt. Du Plessis had been riding a nine-fight win streak before the loss here. He falls to 23-3-0 in professional MMA as a result.
We almost certainly have never seen a dominant champion beaten this soundly. Chimaev got his first takedown within 30 seconds of the fight starting, and didn't look back until the gold was around his waist. Du Plessis was able to get a takedown of his own and some back control late in Round 5, but was never close to turning the tide. It was always assumed that the sloppiness of the former champion's game would come back to haunt him, but few could have imagined a beating like this, as Du Plessis landed single-digit strikes in every frame but the fifth. While it seems odd to say that the South African's next move is uncertain, it's hard to believe he will ever be able to compete with Chimaev, which makes one wonder what kind of fights he will take while "Borz" has the belt. Du Plessis had been riding a nine-fight win streak before the loss here. He falls to 23-3-0 in professional MMA as a result.
Will defend title vs. Chimaev
Du Plessis will defend his UFC middleweight championship against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on Aug. 16, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Du Plessis has successfully defended his title twice, but he'll face one of the biggest challenges of his entire career when he takes on Chimaev. Du Plessis' most recent bout was a win over Sean Strickland via unanimous decision on Feb. 8. His previous title defense came against Israel Adesanya on Aug. 2024.
Du Plessis has successfully defended his title twice, but he'll face one of the biggest challenges of his entire career when he takes on Chimaev. Du Plessis' most recent bout was a win over Sean Strickland via unanimous decision on Feb. 8. His previous title defense came against Israel Adesanya on Aug. 2024.
Cruises in second title defense
Du Plessis successfully defended his UFC Middleweight Championship on Saturday, defeating Sean Strickland via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia.
ANALYSIS
When these two fought almost exactly a year ago, they appeared to be shockingly evenly-matched. Less than 13 months later, du Plessis appeared to be on another level. Now, part of that is the result of Strickland putting forth a true stinker (and breaking his nose late), but the champion deserves credit for dominating from start to finish. Dricus employed a basic game plan, getting off first in virtually all the striking exchanges and landing the much bigger blows. The biggest shot of the night was a straight right hand up the middle in Round 4 which broke Strickland's nose on the spot. Du Plessis won the first fight on the strength of his wrestling. Here, he attempted just two takedowns, landing one. It was a 25-minute sparring match, one in which Dricus completely dominated. He better rest up, cause his next title defense will almost certainly be against Khamzat Chimaev, a guy that employs a totally different style than what we saw from Strickland this evening.
When these two fought almost exactly a year ago, they appeared to be shockingly evenly-matched. Less than 13 months later, du Plessis appeared to be on another level. Now, part of that is the result of Strickland putting forth a true stinker (and breaking his nose late), but the champion deserves credit for dominating from start to finish. Dricus employed a basic game plan, getting off first in virtually all the striking exchanges and landing the much bigger blows. The biggest shot of the night was a straight right hand up the middle in Round 4 which broke Strickland's nose on the spot. Du Plessis won the first fight on the strength of his wrestling. Here, he attempted just two takedowns, landing one. It was a 25-minute sparring match, one in which Dricus completely dominated. He better rest up, cause his next title defense will almost certainly be against Khamzat Chimaev, a guy that employs a totally different style than what we saw from Strickland this evening.
Set for Strickland rematch
Du Plessis will defend his UFC Middleweight Championship against Sean Strickland (leg) in the main event of UFC 312 on Feb. 8, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
This is a rematch of a title fight that took place in January of 2024 in which Du Plessis became the champion via split decision despite being out-landed 173-to-137 in significant strikes. The judges ultimately decided that du Plessis landed the more damaging blows, and his six takedowns certainly didn't hurt his cause. Since then, Strickland picked up a split-decision victory over Paulo Costa in June but has been sidelined since due to a leg injury. Du Plessis also has a fight on the record since then, as he took out long-time champion Israel Adesanya via fourth-round submission back in August.
This is a rematch of a title fight that took place in January of 2024 in which Du Plessis became the champion via split decision despite being out-landed 173-to-137 in significant strikes. The judges ultimately decided that du Plessis landed the more damaging blows, and his six takedowns certainly didn't hurt his cause. Since then, Strickland picked up a split-decision victory over Paulo Costa in June but has been sidelined since due to a leg injury. Du Plessis also has a fight on the record since then, as he took out long-time champion Israel Adesanya via fourth-round submission back in August.