All articles tagged with #dricusduplessis
Kamaru Usman says he needs time with his coaches and family to decide whether to continue fighting or retire after a one-sided defeat to Dricus du Plessis in UFC Oklahoma City, reflecting on his career and the tough performance while acknowledging a potentially permanent decision may be looming.
Israel Adesanya commended Dricus du Plessis for his dominant decision over Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City, calling it the best performance he’s seen from DDP and noting improvements in his punching and a key knee in a single‑leg sequence. The former rivals’ tension has cooled, and Adesanya believes the win will boost African MMA by expanding the continent’s talent pool and drawing more African fighters into main events.
Dricus du Plessis defeated Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision in the UFC Oklahoma City main event (50-45, 49-46, 49-46), dominating much of the action with sharp strikes and knees while Usman pressed back in spots. The bout aired on Paramount+.
Kamaru Usman will move up to middleweight to face former champion Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC Fight Night 281 main event on July 18 in Oklahoma City, a bid for title contention. Du Plessis, coming off a title loss to Khamzat Chimaev, remains a top challenger, while Usman has not fought since a June victory over Joaquin Buckley and aims to rebound in a new weight class. The Paycom Center card streams on Paramount+ and features a loaded lineup.
Dricus Du Plessis predicts that Alex Pereira will win his rematch against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320, despite Ankalaev's previous dominance, citing Pereira's aggressive style and ability to perform better after a break. Pereira aims to break Daniel Cormier's record for most light heavyweight title wins with a victory.
Israel Adesanya predicts that the UFC 319 fight between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev could go either way, with early chaos favoring Chimaev or a longer fight benefiting du Plessis, though he leans towards du Plessis winning in later rounds.
Ahead of UFC 319, Dricus Du Plessis' coach criticizes Khamzat Chimaev as one-dimensional, emphasizing a strategy to counter Chimaev's wrestling by focusing on their own fighting style, aiming to beat him at his own game.
Dricus Du Plessis faces a challenging 45lb weight cut to make the 185lb limit for his upcoming UFC 319 title fight, and he is considering moving up to light-heavyweight in the future as he aims to stay competitive and explore new divisions.