Two former UFC champions collide near the top of the middleweight division. Kamaru Usman returns to the middleweight division with much more time to prepare than the first time. The colossal Dricus du Plessis awaits him at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City.
Du Plessis (23-3) took 11 months off after Khamzat Chimaev thrashed him and snatched the UFC middleweight title. He gave up 12 takedowns and 22 minutes of control time in that fight. It’s a weakness Usman seeks to exploit on Saturday. However, Du Plessis believes Usman will be terribly disappointed if he tries to replicate Chimaev’s game plan.
“Kamaru Usman is used to being the bully in a fight,” Du Plessis told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “He is physically stronger than his opponents. You can always see this. He’s just physically more dangerous. He can strike with you because, if things go south for him, he can get you into the fence and into the clinch and hold you there because he’s physically so strong.
“But now, he’s dealing with someone like me who, from a strength scale, there isn’t even going to be a comparison. I know he’s a physically strong guy, but it’s just different. I’m a much bigger guy, and in the striking department, there is no doubt in my mind that I’m better than Usman. And he’s probably underestimating my wrestling and grappling abilities. That will ultimately be his downfall.”
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Usman (21-4) could immediately line himself up for a title shot with a win on Saturday. Like Du Plessis, Usman has also beaten reigning middleweight champ Sean Strickland. Usman returns to middleweight three years after a short-notice majority decision loss to Chimaev. Usman took his first middleweight fight with one week to prepare and nearly turned the division upside down. Now he understands how to operate as a full-fledged middleweight.
“As a welterweight, when you have to cut the weight and really diet to go through that process of getting down, you build a way to sustain that energy and how to be efficient in the fight,” Usman mentioned. “I think when I went in there in that middleweight bout with Khamzat Chimaev, I was still kind of trying to operate on that type of efficiency.
“Next thing you know, it’s two and a half rounds in, and it feels like Round 1 to me. I should’ve taken five [rounds]. I should’ve really given myself the time.”
Check out the full interview with Kamaru Usman below.
The co-main event on Saturday is intriguing. Christian Leroy Duncan is making an unexpected push through the middleweight ranks. A phenomenal striker who struggled with inconsistency early in the UFC, Duncan has found his footing. The former Cage Warriors middleweight champion has a proper challenge in one-time UFC middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier. “The Killa Gorilla” is past his prime, but this ex-heavyweight can seriously crack.
Other notable names on the card include Chase Hooper, Tabatha Ricci and Tommy McMillen, the latter of whom trains with former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley.
Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday with the just in odds before we get to a prediction and pick the main event.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight class |
|---|---|---|
| Dricus du Plessis -230 | Kamaru Usman +190 | Middleweight |
| Christian Leroy Duncan -360 | Jared Cannonier +285 | Middleweight |
| Chase Hooper -380 | Mitch Ramirez +300 | Lightweight |
| Fatima Kline -485 | Tabatha Ricci +370 | Women’s strawweight |
| Tommy McMillen -166 | Alberto Montes +140 | Featherweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: Saturday, July 18 | Start time: 8 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: Paycom Center — Oklahoma City
TV channel: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as low as $8.99 per month)
Prediction
Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman: Three years have passed since Usman nearly upset Chimaev on nine days’ notice up a weight class. The former welterweight champion’s marvelous performance cracked the door open for a middleweight campaign. I worry it’s coming too late. Usman, 39, has a hard time convincing people that his knees aren’t shot. Yes, his wrestling pedigree prevented Chimaev from dominating him the way he did Du Plessis, but Usman doesn’t utilize the same dogged wrestling style to pin people down. I have enough respect for Du Plessis to assume the former middleweight champ patched up wrestling holes in his year away. Du Plessis has the size, motor, and power to get this done. Du Plessis via KO2
