The wait is almost over. Dricus “Stillknocks” du Plessis is set to make his long-awaited return to the UFC Octagon — and the fight world is buzzing about what comes next for South Africa’s only UFC champion.
Multiple credible MMA sources report that du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman is essentially signed for a UFC Fight Night main event on July 18, 2026, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Sportsbooks have already moved, with BetOnline opening du Plessis as a -230 favourite — implying a 69.7% probability of victory for “Stillknocks.” The UFC is expected to make the official announcement in the coming days.
Until that announcement drops, nothing is 100% official in the UFC. So JPS breaks down the frontrunner, and the two backup options waiting in the wings if plans change.
The Long Road Back for DDP
Du Plessis has not competed since UFC 319 in Chicago on 16 August 2025, where Khamzat Chimaev dominated him across five rounds to claim the middleweight title. The judges scored it 50-44 across the board — one of the most lopsided title bouts in UFC history. It was also the first loss of his UFC career, and only the third of his professional life.
To understand how significant that night was, consider what du Plessis had built before it. He won the middleweight belt by defeating Sean Strickland in Toronto in January 2024, submitted former champion Israel Adesanya in Perth, then beat Strickland again in Sydney. He was on an extraordinary run, widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
Chimaev took all of that away in one night.
Since then, DDP has been quiet but focused. “For me, we needed to fix some things, obviously, and I’ve spent some time now doing that,” he told Fight Forecast earlier this year. He appeared at UFC 328 in Newark in May, dropping strong hints that a fight announcement was imminent.
The division he is returning to looks very different from the one he left. At UFC 328 on 9 May 2026, Sean Strickland pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year — defeating Khamzat Chimaev by split decision to reclaim the middleweight title. Chimaev’s first professional loss has blown the 185-pound division wide open. For du Plessis, a man who has beaten Strickland twice, the timing could not be better.
Option 1: Kamaru Usman — Africa vs Africa (The Frontrunner)
This is the fight that is almost certainly happening, and it is a blockbuster.
The UFC offered Kamaru Usman the fight months ago. Usman confirmed it publicly on his Pound 4 Pound podcast in February: “The other things were presented to me, like DDP. DDP was presented to me. One thing about me is when they call me and say this guy or that guy, I say yes. It has to be meaningful — if it gets me to the title, that’s what I want.”
Du Plessis’ own gym, CIT Performance Institute, reposted social media reports claiming the fight was in the works — and gyms do not do that by accident. Now sportsbooks have opened the line, with the UFC’s Oklahoma City return on July 18 widely identified as the target date.
The storylines write themselves. Two African-born former champions. Usman — who gave Chimaev genuine trouble at UFC 294 before losing — versus du Plessis, who was comprehensively outworked by that same man. A win for either fighter immediately catapults them into title contention against Strickland.
Stylistically, it is a fascinating clash. Usman will look to use his elite wrestling to control du Plessis and grind out rounds — exactly the blueprint Chimaev followed. Du Plessis will have spent months in camp preparing for precisely that. His coach Morne Visser was blunt after UFC 319: “If we knew he was gonna do that, I would’ve changed Dricus’ base — no punches, no kicks, just wrestle the guy. And Dricus is good enough to do that.”
Usman is 40 but still dangerous, still experienced, and still capable of upsetting anyone on a given night. Du Plessis enters as the favourite. A statement victory here puts him on the shortest possible road back to the belt.
JPS Verdict: The fight is as good as done. Barring anything unexpected, mark July 18 in Oklahoma City on your calendar.
Option 2: Brendan Allen — If Plans Change
If the Usman fight falls through for any reason, Brendan Allen is the most logical next call.
Earlier this year, a du Plessis vs Allen matchup was reportedly being targeted for UFC 327 in Miami in April 2026. The fight never got officially confirmed at the time, but it told you exactly how the UFC viewed du Plessis’ re-entry point into contention.
Allen is a legitimate top-five middleweight who has been loudly calling for this fight. He is coming off a TKO win over Reinier de Ridder at UFC Vancouver in October 2025 and has beaten Marvin Vettori along the way.
He even suggested publicly that du Plessis was sending mixed signals about the matchup, telling TMZ Sports: “You never know what that dude — what someone says in public and what they say behind closed doors sometimes don’t align.”
A convincing du Plessis finish over Allen would be a statement, even if it lacks the marquee appeal of the Usman matchup. Allen is credible enough to justify a title shot conversation afterward, but familiar enough as a stylistic opponent that du Plessis would enter as a heavy favourite.
JPS Verdict: A solid backup that keeps DDP active and ranked. Not the headline fight, but a logical one if negotiations elsewhere collapse.
Option 3: Sean Strickland Trilogy — The Title Fight Waiting at the End
Neither of the above options is the destination. They are the road.
Du Plessis has beaten Sean Strickland twice — once in Toronto to win the belt, once in Sydney to defend it. Strickland is now the middleweight champion again after his stunning split decision upset of Chimaev at UFC 328. That means the title du Plessis lost is now held by the man he has already beaten twice.
A Strickland vs du Plessis trilogy for the middleweight title is not just a possibility — it is the most compelling story the 185-pound division has to offer right now. Two men, three fights, a championship on the line. If du Plessis wins on his return, whether against Usman or Allen, it becomes almost impossible for the UFC to avoid making it.
JPS Verdict: This is the endgame. Every fight between now and that trilogy is just clearing the path.
The Bottom Line
Dricus du Plessis is coming back, and the middleweight division is in the perfect state of chaos for a man of his ambition. The Usman fight on July 18 in Oklahoma City is the expected next step — credible, compelling, and title-relevant. If that announcement does not come, Allen represents the credible Plan B that keeps DDP on track.
Either way, “Stillknocks” has been clear about what he is chasing. “The next fight is the most important fight of my life,” he said. “I will win that fight — and I will get my belt back.” He beat Strickland before. He can do it again.
UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs Usman | July 18, 2026 | Oklahoma City (Official UFC announcement expected imminently)
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📸 Images via UFC / Dricus Du Plessis / Getty Images
