Kamaru Usmanis making a move back up to the UFC middleweight division. The former welterweight champion will take onDricus du Plessison July 18, in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City Live From Paycom Center. This bout was announced during the UFC Vegas 119 live broadcast earlier tonight.

THE MAIN EVENT IS SET‼️Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman will square off at#UFCOKCon July 18 👀pic.twitter.com/kGYlMZo2z4

Dricus du Plessis’ last fought at UFC 319, where he was ragdolled for five rounds and dethroned byKhamzat Chimaevwith ease. Kamaru Usman, on the other hand, last fought knockout artist Joaquin Buckley in 2025 and cruised to a dominant unanimous decision victory.

Usman wanted to fight the pound-for-pound king and reigning welterweight champion,Islam Makhachev, next. “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” plan was to get the 170-pound strap back in his possession and then move up to 185 pounds to attain 2-division glory in 2026. Even Makhachev, who considers Usman his hardest challenge, had shown interest in the matchup. However, the UFC had other plans. Islam Makhachev will now defend his title against Ian Machado Garry in the main event of UFC 330.

Kamaru Usman, on the other hand, will take on former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis atUFC Oklahoma City on July 18, as mentioned above.

🚨 BANGER MAIN EVENT 🚨Former MW Champion Dricus Du Plessis🇿🇦 will face former WW Champion Kamaru Usman🇳🇬 in the main event of#UFCOKCon July 18th.#MMATwitter#MMA#UFC#SouthAfrica#Nigeriapic.twitter.com/54oSwwpHJB

Firstly, the Kamaru Usman vs. Du Plessis bout could be a major turning point for both fighters, as the winner would put his name in the mix for a middleweight title shot potentially later this year or early next year.

At 39, “The Nigerian Nightmare” is running out of time and has to hurry to make another championship push. Meanwhile, “Stilknocks” will be eager to work his way back up to the top and earn a title shot whileSean Stricklandis still the UFC middleweight champion. Fans have already witnessed that “Tarzan” is an easy game for the South African. He has dethroned Strickland before, defeated him in a title rematch, and would gladly do it a third time.

IfDu Plessiswants to become a two-time UFC middleweight champion, he stands a better chance of doing it before the belt changes hands and goes back to Chimaev or is captured by top contender Nassourdine Imavov.

For Du Plessis, the bout against Kamaru Usman is also an opportunity to showcase how much his takedown defense and overall grappling have evolved following his title loss to “Borz.”

Source: LowKickMMA.com