South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis cruised to a dominant unanimous decision win over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC, in Oklahoma, USA, on Saturday night, NY Fights reports.
The judges scored the five-round main event 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 in favor of the South African, who looked sharp from start to finish.
From the opening bell Du Plessis, who was making his first appearance since August 2025, fought with the same awkward-but-effective style that has made him so difficult to deal with. He mixed explosive power with unpredictable angles, constantly keeping Usman guessing.
His jab and calf kicks helped establish the range early before he repeatedly found a home for his trademark question-mark kick, wobbling the former champion multiple times throughout the fight.
The opening round belonged entirely to Du Plessis, as he snapped Usman’s head back with stiff jabs, chopped away at his lead leg and landed a clean right hand to the temple that briefly had the former welterweight champion on unsteady legs.
Round two was arguably Du Plessis’ best of the night. He perfectly timed a flying knee as Usman changed levels for a takedown, then landed another crushing knee up the middle moments later that caught Usman flush on the chin. It looked like the finish might come at any moment, but the veteran somehow stayed upright and continued to fight back.
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Usman finally found some success in the third round, securing his first takedown of the fight with just over a minute remaining. However, he couldn’t keep Du Plessis on the mat for long, as the South African quickly scrambled back to his feet before any meaningful damage could be done.
Du Plessis regained complete control in Round 4, stuffing another takedown attempt before blasting Usman with a pair of powerful head kicks and crisp two-punch combinations. By that point, Usman’s left eye had begun to swell badly as Du Plessis’ striking volume continued to pile up.
Needing a finish heading into the fifth, Usman came out aggressively but immediately absorbed another huge head kick that sent him stumbling into the fence.
To his credit, the former champion refused to quit and rallied late, throwing heavy combinations during the closing minute that briefly forced Du Plessis backward. But it was far too little, too late to change the outcome.
By the final horn, Du Plessis had landed an impressive 136 significant strikes, overwhelming Usman with both volume and power across 25 minutes.
