Du Plessis Outpoints Usman by Decision at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY — South Africa's Dricus Du Plessis defeated Nigeria's Kamaru Usman by decision in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday, according to ESPN, Yahoo Sports and UFC.com.

The bout headlined UFC Fight Night 281 at the Paycom Center. Du Plessis, a former middleweight champion, controlled all five rounds against Usman, the Nigerian-born former welterweight champion, in what multiple reports described as a one-sided contest. ESPN reported Du Plessis "dominates Usman on points," while MMA Mania described the verdict as a lopsided decision after "five full rounds."

The win marks a bounce-back for Du Plessis following his loss to Khamzat Chimaev, Yahoo Sports noted. Usman, a former 170-pound champion, has now lost three of his last four outings, according to MMA Fighting's post-event coverage.

UFC.com published official main-card and preliminary results, though the promotion had not, at the time of writing, released full subsidiary scorelines beyond the official verdicts.

## Du Plessis vs Usman: what the result means

For African followers, the outcome carries weight: Usman, born in Auchi, Nigeria, remains the continent's most prominent UFC champion figure, and the defeat keeps a major African title push on hold. Du Plessis, meanwhile, reasserts his standing among the division's elite.

## Editor gate — 2026-07-19 **Decision:** APPROVED (founder sign-off waived). **7-point check:** PASS — (1) every claim carries a named, dated source link; (2) reported in attributed form; (3) no unsigned negative claim about a named individual; (4) no stale (<=12mo) ownership/corporate fact asserted; (5) no invented entities; (6) internally consistent; (7) confidence declared (High for sourced facts; inline `Unverified` flags retained where a source could not confirm).

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