Dricus du Plessis opens as massive favorite over Kamaru Usman in UFC Oklahoma City main event

Dricus du Plessis will return to middleweight action against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City on July 18 at the Paycom Center, with the bout streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. Opening betting odds heavily favor du Plessis, who was announced during UFC Vegas 119.

According to BetOnline, du Plessis opened at -350, requiring a $350 wager to return $100 in profit, while Usman sits at +285, meaning a $100 bet returns $285 if successful. The significant gap underscores bookmakers' confidence in du Plessis's return following his middleweight title loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August 2024.

Du Plessis held the middleweight belt with notable back-to-back title defenses against Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya before the lopsided decision loss to Chimaev, one of the most dominant performances of the Swede's career. The comeback presents a crucial test for du Plessis's path back to title contention.

Usman, meanwhile, arrives off a significant breakthrough: his first UFC victory in nearly four years came via dominant decision over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta in June 2025, snapping a three-fight losing streak. The "Nigerian Nightmare" suffered an all-time knockout loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 278 in August 2022, dropped the rematch seven months later, and took a competitive majority decision defeat against Chimaev on short notice at middleweight in October 2023. This marks his return after another extended layoff, making the matchup a pivotal crossroads bout for both former champions.