Dricus Du Plessis Wobbles Ex-Champ Kamaru Usman Multiple Times in Dominant UFC Oklahoma City Main Event Victory

Dricus Du Plessis returned to the win column at UFC Oklahoma City after losing his title last year to Khazmat Chimaev.

Dricus Du Plessis Wobbles Ex-Champ Kamaru Usman Multiple Times in Dominant UFC Oklahoma City Main Event Victory

Dricus Du Plessis defeats Kamaru Usman (Image via UFC News/Screenshot)

Sean Strickland defeating Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 opened doors for two fighters. Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman has already defeated Strickland in the past. As such, the winner of the UFC Oklahoma City main event could earn the next title shot with a masterful performance.

With such high stakes involved, ‘DDP’ and Usman had much to fight for. Reclaiming the middleweight title remains a priority for the South African star, and Usman wants the double champion status after leaving the welterweight division. However, it was Du Plessis who emerged victorious and kept his title hopes alive.

The bout started with both fighters assessing range to strike. Soon, DDP found some openings and tagged Usman with a couple of significant strikes. The left high kick was his major weapon against ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, which Leon Edwards once used to deliver the KO blow at UFC 278.

The second round also saw the same sequences with DDP tagging Usman and defending any takedown attempts. Du Plessis combined punches, kicks, and knee strikes to disrupt the boxing from Usman. Even when the former welterweight champion got the takedown, DDP immediately got back up.

The third and fourth round saw pretty much the same action as Usman tried to get momentum, but faced a version of Du Plessis that didn’t want to lose. DDP stung and wobbled his opponent multiple times, but the chin of Usman held up. In the fifth round, Usman battled back late. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough by then.

After five rounds, the judges scored it 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46 to DDP as Usman looked confused by the decision. During the octagon interview with Daniel Cormier, Du Plessis called for a title shot and praised the toughness of Usman.

DDP has two wins over Sean Strickland. The South African star defeated the American fighter at UFC 297 to win the UFC middleweight title, and then defended the belt at UFC 312 to become 2-0 in their rivalry. It remains to be seen if the promotion will book a trilogy bout between Du Plessis and Strickland.

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A win over Dricus Du Plessis could have earned Kamaru Usman a title shot to achieve double champ dreams

The middleweight title picture remains uncertain at the moment as Nassourdine Imavov has not yet received a title shot. He was overlooked before as well as Sean Strickland leapfrogged him to face then-champion Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328.

Dricus Du Plessis questions Kamaru Usman
Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman (via Instagram)

Imavov has a five-fight winning streak, and wants to fight Strickland for the title. However, Chimaev also want a rematch against the current champion. Strickland, on the other hand, is recovering from a shoulder injury that will keep him away till the end of the year.

With that, the winner of DDP vs Usman at UFC Oklahoma City can leapfrog others for the next title shot. Former flyweight and bantamweight champion, Henry Cejudo, recently spoke about Usman earning the title shot with a win over Du Plessis.

If Nassourdine Imavov cannot get that title shot, it has to do with you. If you’re able to get that victory I think it’s quite simple, you’re next.

Henry Cejudo via Pound4Pound Show

Replying to Cejudo’s claim, Usman admitted that he would absolutely accept a title shot if the promotion offered it to him instead of Imavov.

Usman defeated Strickland at UFC 210, nine years ago in 2017. It was a welterweight bout as Strickland hadn’t moved up a division at that time. This was nearly two years before ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ won the UFC welterweight belt at UFC 235 in 2019.

As of now, the double champion dreams remain out of his reach. Usman may need a winning streak in the middleweight division to achieve a title shot. His earlier win over Strickland would have made for a massive rematch, but the loss to Du Plessis put him out of reach.

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