UFC Oklahoma City live blog: Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman

Dricus du Plessis dominated Kamaru Usman over five rounds at UFC Oklahoma City, securing a dominant unanimous decision victory that reestablished the former middleweight champion as a title contender after nearly a year away from competition. Du Plessis, who lost his belt to Khamzat Chimaev in August of the previous year, returned to face Usman, the former UFC welterweight champion now competing at middleweight in pursuit of a divisional title shot.

Du Plessis seized control immediately, establishing center and landing precise strikes while Usman struggled with range management. A left high kick rocked Usman early and set the tone for a lopsided first two rounds. Throughout Round 2, du Plessis landed repeated knees to Usman's jaw, cut open his eye with a right hook, and maintained relentless forward pressure despite Usman's attempts to secure takedowns. The power differential between the fighters became increasingly apparent as du Plessis landed another standing knee with one minute remaining.

Round 3 saw both fighters exchange kicks and body work, with du Plessis finding a home for his question mark kick while Usman finally secured a takedown. Du Plessis immediately popped back to his feet and delivered another standing knee, showcasing his defensive wrestling acumen against a fighter renowned for takedown prowess.

Usman attempted to salvage momentum in the fourth round, but du Plessis countered with another left high kick that wobbled him badly. Usman never stopped fighting and managed to hurt du Plessis with a right hand late in the round, but the damage had accumulated decisively in du Plessis' favor. Both former champions brought everything to the fifth frame, with du Plessis landing yet another head kick while Usman flurried desperately to the final horn. The judges awarded the fight to du Plessis by scores of 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46, positioning him well for a potential rematch with current champion Sean Strickland while leaving Usman at 0-2 at 185 pounds.