Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman have removed the last routine obstacle before their meeting in Oklahoma City. Du Plessis weighed 185.5 pounds on Friday, while Usman used the full non-title middleweight allowance at 186. Both former UFC champions are therefore cleared for the five-round main event at Paycom Center on July 18.
The half-pound between them tells less than the setting. Du Plessis is returning for the first time since Khamzat Chimaev ended his middleweight title reign at UFC 319. Usman is stepping back into the 185-pound division after rebuilding momentum with a five-round decision over Joaquin Buckley in June 2025. His earlier middleweight appearance against Chimaev came on short notice; this time he has prepared for the division and the opponent.
Friday’s ceremonial faceoff naturally restarted the argument about size, but the verified measurements are more useful than a camera angle. UFC Stats lists Du Plessis at 6-foot-1 and Usman at 6-foot, with an identical 76-inch reach. The scale showed almost no difference. Any real physical edge will have to appear in the clinch, in scrambles and in the pace they can maintain after the opening rounds.
Du Plessis vs Usman is official, but the hard questions remain
The fresh news is simple: the headliners did their jobs at the scale. The sporting argument is harder. Du Plessis brings a 23-3 professional record and the higher striking output in the official UFC figures. He lands 5.18 significant strikes per minute, mixes awkward entries with heavy combinations and has never needed his technique to look conventional before it became effective.
That aggression also leaves traffic coming the other way. Du Plessis absorbs 4.33 significant strikes per minute, compared with 2.67 for Usman. The former welterweight champion’s career has been built around controlling where exchanges happen, forcing opponents toward the fence and making them work before he opens his hands. His 21-4 record includes a UFC welterweight title win and five successful defenses.
The age and weight questions cannot be waved away. UFC lists Usman at 39, and his best championship work came at 170 pounds. Yet the Buckley fight supplied recent evidence that he could still manage five rounds, land takedowns and win a disciplined decision. Du Plessis is the natural middleweight in this pairing, but the official reach figures are level and Usman did not need a last-minute call to make 186.
The wrestling numbers make this more than a size test
Usman’s clearest statistical advantage is defensive wrestling. UFC Stats credits him with 89 percent takedown defense and an average of 2.79 takedowns landed per 15 minutes. Du Plessis averages 2.22 takedowns and owns 51 percent accuracy, but his listed takedown defense is 34 percent. Those career figures explain why the mat has dominated the discussion around this matchup.
They do not settle it. Chimaev completed 12 takedowns against Du Plessis in their title fight, according to the official bout record, while Du Plessis completed one. Usman faced the same opponent at UFC 294 and was taken down four times in a three-round majority-decision loss. Different dates, different preparation and different fight lengths make a direct comparison unreliable, but both bouts show why the first clinch exchange in Oklahoma City will matter.
Du Plessis has said the defeat sharpened his desire to regain the title, while Usman has treated the move as an opportunity rather than an escape from welterweight. Their words create the frame; Friday’s numbers provide the part that can be checked. Here is what the official weigh-in established across the card:
- Du Plessis made 185.5 pounds and Usman made 186 for the five-round middleweight main event.
- Jared Cannonier weighed 185 and Christian Leroy Duncan 185.5 for the co-main event.
- Chase Hooper weighed 157.5, missing the lightweight limit by 1.5 pounds.
- Ezra Elliott weighed 147.5, missing the featherweight limit by 1.5 pounds.
The misses lower on the card did not disturb the headliner. UFC’s official event page still lists the preliminaries for 5 p.m. ET and the main card for 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+. That leaves Du Plessis and Usman with the contest they signed for and no weight-cut explanation waiting after the result.
There is an obvious title angle, although it should not be presented as a confirmed eliminator. Du Plessis is listed by UFC as the No. 2 middleweight contender and has argued that the winner deserves the next chance at Sean Strickland. Usman has also spoken about championship options after a victory. The promotion has not formally guaranteed the Oklahoma City winner a title fight.
| Verified measure | Dricus du Plessis | Kamaru Usman |
|---|---|---|
| Official weigh-in | 185.5 lb | 186 lb |
| Professional record | 23-3 | 21-4 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in | 6 ft 0 in |
| Listed reach | 76 in | 76 in |
| Significant strikes landed per minute | 5.18 | 4.16 |
| Significant strikes absorbed per minute | 4.33 | 2.67 |
| Takedowns per 15 minutes | 2.22 | 2.79 |
| Takedown defense | 34% | 89% |
For Du Plessis, the night is a first chance to show that the Chimaev loss changed the work without changing the fighter. For Usman, it is a chance to prove that a carefully prepared move to middleweight can carry more weight than the number attached to his old division. The scale offered no drama. The useful tension is still waiting inside the cage.
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