UFC Oklahoma City: Du Plessis vs. Usman Recap

By Ethan Gagnon — 19 July 2026 — 3 min read

UFC Oklahoma City featured a middleweight main event between Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman. The event, also known as UFC Fight Night 281, took place at the Paycom Center. Preliminaries for the event began at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, with the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. All bouts were available to stream live on Paramount+.

The main event was scheduled for five rounds, while all other bouts were set for three rounds. Du Plessis weighed in at 185.5 pounds, and Usman at 186 pounds for their middleweight contest. In the co-main event, Jared Cannonier (185 pounds) faced Christian Leroy Duncan (185.5 pounds).

Undercard Bouts and Results

In a women’s flyweight bout, Dione Barbosa secured a victory over Anna Melisano. Barbosa utilized ground-and-pound before transitioning to an arm-triangle choke. She then secured a standing rear-naked choke, leading Melisano to tap out.

RJ Harris delivered a significant uppercut against Alvin Hines in their heavyweight fight. The blow lifted Hines off his feet, and Harris followed up with ground strikes, prompting the referee to stop the fight. Harris, who weighed in at 262.5 pounds, celebrated his promotional debut victory.

The lightweight bout saw Chase Hooper weigh in at 157.5 pounds, which was 1.5 pounds over the limit. As a result, Hooper forfeited 20 percent of his purse to his opponent, Mitch Ramirez, who weighed 155.5 pounds.

In a featherweight contest, Ezra Elliott weighed 147.5 pounds, exceeding the limit by 1.5 pounds. Elliott focused on grappling against Damien Anderson, chaining together takedowns and maintaining back control throughout the fight. Anderson, who weighed 146 pounds, attempted to defend against Elliott’s grappling efforts.

Alden Coria faced Stewart Nicoll in a flyweight bout. Coria landed an uppercut early in the fight, and later countered Nicoll’s takedown attempt with a guillotine choke. Nicoll managed to escape and secure a takedown, but Coria consistently found opportunities to land strikes and defend submissions. Ben Duffy and Tyler Treese both scored the first two rounds 10-9 in favour of Coria.

Nicoll executed a slam in the second round, taking Coria to the ground and attempting a bulldog choke. Coria escaped and gained back control, landing strikes. In the third round, Coria continued to land punches, and defended another takedown attempt with a brabo choke. Coria later secured a tight guillotine choke, though the round ended before a submission was finalized. Both Duffy and Treese scored the final round 10-9 for Coria, resulting in a 30-27 score for Coria on their cards.

Main Event Preview

The main event featured Dricus du Plessis, who is 32 years old, against 39-year-old Kamaru Usman. Usman, a former UFC welterweight champion, was returning to a division 15 pounds heavier than his previous weight class. Du Plessis is known for his aggressive style, aiming to inflict damage from various angles.

Usman is recognized for his wrestling skills, which were expected to be a significant factor in the fight. However, some analyses suggested that factors beyond wrestling favoured Du Plessis. The event marked the UFC’s return to Oklahoma City for the first time in nearly a decade.

Source: sherdog.com