UFC Oklahoma City Features Awesome Main Card!

UFC Oklahoma City fight week rolls on.  Saturday night, the No. 1 MMA promotion in the world continues its July schedule of events  with a trip to The Sooner State. 

Live coverage of UFC Oklahoma City begins with the prelims at 5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT. Stateside, the card can be seen gavel-to-gavel on Paramount Plus. Main card action will immediately follow at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT.

Should there be no alterations to the bout order in the final days leading up to fight night, the final version of UFC Oklahoma City will feature 12 fights inside the fabled UFC Octagon.

UFC Oklahoma City Main Event: No. 2 Contender Dricus du Plessis vs. No. 9 Welterweight Contender Kamaru Usman: DDP Returns After 11 Months

At the top of the bill on Saturday night in Oklahoma City, middleweight action serves as the focus of the main event of the evening at UFC Oklahoma City. Former UFC Middleweight Champion and No. 2 contender Dricus du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) fights No. 9 welterweight contender and former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC.) This fight is a five-round affair at five minutes per round.

Dricus du Plessis enters UFC Oklahoma City on Saturday night having posted a 4-1 record in his last five outings. Last year, he saw his 12-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in Chicago during UFC 319 for the UFC Middleweight Championship.

du Plessis hasn't been seen in action since that August night in Chicago a year ago, but he's still right in the thick of the title picture. Should he turn in a highlight-reel performance here, his next fight could be for the championship.

Kamaru Usman Makes Middleweight Return in UFC Oklahoma City

Meanwhile, Kamaru Usman, nicknamed "The Nigerian Nightmare," enters Saturday night's main event with a record of 2-3 in his last five outings. Back on June 14, 2025 in Atlanta, he scored a unanimous decision victory against Joaquin Buckley (21-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) after five rounds of action.

In so doing, he received a $50,000 (USD) bonus for the Performance of the Night. 13 months later, he makes his return, this time at 185.

At Wednesday's media day, Usman mentioned that the possibility exists for a welterweight return at a later date, though he also couldn't rule out potentially fighting in the light heavyweight division if such an opportunity were to become available. How will he fare in his first bout at middleweight since October of 2023?

UFC Oklahoma City Co-Main Event: No. 10 Contender Jared Cannonier vs. No. 12 Contender Christian Leroy Duncan: "Tha Killa Gorilla" Looking to Return to Victory Lane

Immediately beforehand, more middleweight action serves as the focus of the evening's co-main attraction between No. 10 contender Jared Cannonier (18-9 MMA, 11-9 UFC) and No. 12 contender Christian Leroy Duncan (14-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC.) This co-main event is a three-round fight at five minutes each.

Cannonier is sporting a record of 2-3 in his five most recent bouts. During UFC 319 last summer in Chicago, he dropped a unanimous decision to Michael Page (25-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) after 15 minutes of action.

At age 42, Jared Cannonier's MMA career is in its twilight. A few years ago, he said in a TMZ interview that he'd be entertaining a title run before retiring. If this is to be the case, a win in the UFC Oklahoma City co-main event would be the perfect starting point. He has no room for error left.

Christian Leroy Duncan Eager to Crack Top 10 at 185

Across the way, Christian Leroy Duncan enters the co-headlining bout with a 4-1 mark in his past five outings. Presently, he's on a four-fight winning streak. 

Back in March, he scored a unanimous decision against Roman Dolidze (15-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in UFC London. Duncan is currently outside the top 10 at No. 12 at 185.

Just getting his hand raised in victory on Saturday night may not be enough for him to get into the top 10. An emphatic victory might be what he needs.

UFC Oklahoma City: Chase Hooper vs. Mitch Ramirez: "The Dream" Eager to Snap Skid

Also on the UFC Oklahoma City main card Saturday night, fans will be treated to a lightweight showcase matching Chase Hooper (16-5-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) against Mitch Ramirez (8-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC.) Hooper comes in with a 3-2 mark in his last five trips to the cage.

He's lost two bouts in a row, including a March 28 first-round knockout from Lance Gibson (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC.) The fight in Seattle was Gibson's first win under the UFC banner. 

While Hooper is hungry to get back into the win column, his opponent is just as hungry for a victory.

Ramirez Still in Search of First UFC Win Saturday Night

In the other corner, Mitch Ramirez has gone 2-3 over his five latest appearance. He's on a two-fight losing streak since joining the UFC's active roster in March of 2024.

A year ago, he faltered in his sophomore appearance by way of second-round knockout against Mike Davis (12-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC.) By the time UFC Oklahoma City begins on Saturday night, Mitch Ramirez will have not fought in 53 weeks.

How will he fare after more than a year away? Only time will tell.

Rest of the Card

Two other fights round out the UFC Oklahoma City main card, a strawweight affair between No. 8 contender Tabatha Ricci (12-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and No. 11 contender Fatima Kline (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC,) and a featherweight bout pairing Tommy McMillen (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) against Alberto Montez (11-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC.)