Dricus Du Plessis

Du Plessis returned to the win column with a one-sided five-round decision over Kamaru Usman in Oklahoma City, his first fight since losing the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev. He found his range in the opening minutes and wobbled Usman more than once with clubbing right hands and knees up the middle, hurting him again in the fourth on the way to 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 cards.

Key moments

• Wobbled Usman with a right hand to the temple in the first round.
• Repeatedly hurt Usman with knees up the middle across the opening two rounds.
• Hurt Usman again in the fourth and controlled the fifth to close out the decision.

It was a useful reminder of his durability at championship pace, even on a night when he could not flip enough rounds back his way.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision after five rounds.
• The defeat ended his reign at the top of the UFC middleweight division.
• He still forced the fight through the full 25 minutes against another elite title-level opponent.

Du Plessis took a split decision from Sean Strickland at UFC 297 and left Toronto as UFC middleweight champion.

Key moments

• Won a split decision after five rounds.
• Captured the UFC middleweight title.
• Started the two-fight championship series with Strickland before the clearer rematch win in 2025.

The Robert Whittaker fight was Du Plessis' breakthrough at the very top of the division, because he stopped a former champion in the second round at UFC 290. That result made him impossible to ignore as the next middleweight title challenger.

Key moments

• Stopped Whittaker by second-round TKO.
• Beat a former UFC middleweight champion in a title-eliminator level matchup.
• Used the win to force his way into the next title conversation.

Du Plessis broke Brunson down over two hard rounds before Brunson's corner stopped the fight at the very end of round two. The result mattered because it kept Du Plessis moving toward the top of the UFC middleweight queue.

Key moments

• Won by corner stoppage after round two.
• The official end came at 4:59 of the second round.
• Beat an established UFC contender to stay in the title mix.

Du Plessis had to work deep here, but he still found the finish, submitting Darren Till with a face crank in round three. It was a useful UFC win because it showed he could keep forcing chaos long enough for a late finish to appear.

Key moments

• Won by third-round submission.
• The face-crank finish came at 2:43 of round three.
• Added another ranked-name UFC win before the Brunson fight.

The finish captured exactly why his pressure style is so uncomfortable to survive for long stretches.

Key moments

• Won by second-round knockout.
• The finish came at 1:41 of round two.
• Turned a wild UFC fight into another stoppage win.

Du Plessis stopped Lutterbach in the second round during his KSW stint and showed his pressure game could travel outside South Africa. The result kept him trending upward after the Soldic rivalry split.

Key moments

• Won by second-round TKO.
• The stoppage came at 3:04 of round two.
• Recorded another high-level regional finish outside EFC.

Soldic got his revenge in the rematch, knocking Du Plessis out in the third round at Wembley.

Key moments

• Lost by third-round knockout.
• The finish came at 2:33 of round three.
• Split the two-fight series with Roberto Soldic.

In the first Soldic meeting, Du Plessis stormed through the second round and forced the TKO with punches.

Key moments

• Won by second-round TKO.
• The finish came at 1:37 of round two.
• Took the first fight of the notable Soldic rivalry.

Du Plessis turned a longer fight into another submission win by catching Haratyk with a second-round guillotine. It was one more example of how his pressure could turn into a finish even after the early storm passed.

Key moments

• Won by second-round submission.
• The guillotine choke came at 3:34 of round two.
• Closed another EFC fight without needing the judges.

Van Staden pushed Du Plessis deeper than usual, but Du Plessis still found a third-round guillotine to close the fight. The late submission showed he could sustain his offense into the championship rounds of a regional bout.

Key moments

• Won by third-round submission.
• The guillotine choke came at 3:59 of round three.
• Finished a longer fight late rather than coasting to a decision.

Bagattin made it into the second round, but Du Plessis still secured a rear-naked choke and got the tap.

Key moments

• Won by second-round submission.
• The rear-naked choke came at 3:33 of round two.
• Kept his finish-heavy EFC pace moving.

Du Plessis needed nearly the full round here, but he still found the rear-naked choke before time expired.

Key moments

• Won by first-round submission.
• The rear-naked choke came at 4:50 of round one.
• Finished the fight late in the frame instead of needing a second round.

Lamprecht extended Du Plessis into the third round, but Du Plessis still found a rear-naked choke to finish the job. The fight showed how early he was already comfortable winning with either pace or submission craft.

Key moments

• Won by third-round submission.
• The rear-naked choke came at 1:54 of round three.
• Closed another longer regional fight without the judges.