Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma TONIGHT (Sat., July 18, 2026) to stage UFC Oklahoma City, featuring a massive (quite literally) Middleweight fight between former division champion, Dricus du Plessis, taking on ex-Welterweight division kingpin, Kamaru Usman. In the co-main event, Middleweight heavy hitters Jared Cannonier vs. Christian Leroy Duncan will collide on Paramount+.
UFC OKLAHOMA CITY CHEAT SHEET
What time does UFC Oklahoma City start? TONIGHT (Sat., July 18, 2026), beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
Where will UFC Oklahoma City take place? Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
How can I watch UFC Oklahoma City? Paramount+ “Prelims” undercard matches are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET on Paramount+, followed by the remaining main card balance on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET.
Where can I get UFC Oklahoma City updates and results? Get full UFC Oklahoma City play-by-play updates and live coverage here!
du Plessis kicked off his UFC career with six straight wins, hoisting the Middleweight title in his seventh fight and then defending it two times against Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya before coughing it up to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in what was an absolute dominant performance by “Borz (see it again here). Now, almost one year removed from the beatdown, ”DDP” returns in hopes of gaining some traction in the title race now that his old foe, Strickland, now rules over. The loss to Chimaev took a lot of wind from du Plessis’ sails since it was pretty much non-competitive. Of course, Chimaev has made it a habit to make his foes like far less superior, but we all know “Stillknocks” is better than what he showed that night. And he wants to remind everyone just how good he can really be by taking out another former long-time champion in Usman. That said, should du Plessis lose his second straight, his stock would tumble and so would his chances of fighting for a belt anytime soon.
As for Usman, he managed to snap his career-high, three-fight losing streak by defeating Joaquin Buckley more than one year ago, which was his first win in three years. The former 170-pound champion went through a drastic decline that saw him lose to Leon Edwards back-to-back and then to the aforementioned Chimaev. After getting back on track, “The Nigerian Nightmare” decided that testing Middleweight again at this stage in his career was the better move. And he got another super tough fight; however, if he can take out du Plessis, he would shoot into the Top 5 right away and inch closer to another title shot. If he loses, well he might be convinced to head back down to 170 pounds, and judging by this recent staredown, the size difference is too much to ignore. Still, Usman has taken on and defeated some of the best in the world, but the 39-year-old may be biting off a bit more than he can chew against du Plessis. We will find out soon enough.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card/Injuries:
A women’s Strawweight bout between Amanda Ribas vs. Fatima Kline was scheduled for the event before Ribas withdrew because of health issues and was ultimately replaced by Tabatha Ricci, who is fresh off a defeat at the hands of Virna Jandiroba just three months ago. As for Kline, she is riding high with three straight wins.
Veronica Hardy pulled out of her fight against Dione Barbosa as a result of an injury suffered during training and was replaced by UFC newcomer, Anna Melisano. Also, Brad Tavares was set to face Marc-Andre Barriault at this event before he bowed out for undisclosed reasons, prompting the promotion to cancel the fight altogether after not finding a foe for Barriault. Kevin Holland vs. Jacobe Smith were scheduled to throw down on this card before Holland had to withdraw because of an undisclosed injury and the fight was scrapped.
Melisano wisely answered the late call to step in for Ribas against Barbosa. Winner of six straight under Fury FC’s banner, Melisano has a big opportunity to make a splash right away and insert herself into the Strawweight division, which could use a bit of shaking up since it has been quite slow since Mackenzie Dern won the title nearly one year ago.
After making his professional debut a little over a year ago, Richard Harris now has his chance on the big show just five wins deep into his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. The 27-year-old has three submission wins on his resume, which is pretty rare for a big man since they are known for knocking heads most of the time. Nevertheless, he will aim to keep his jiu-jitsu going against Alvin Hines, who suffered a loss in his UFC debut against Jhonata Diniz, the first and only loss of his career.
After racking up five straight knockout wins to begin his professional MMA career, it was only a matter of time before Levi Rodrigues got the call up to the big leagues. “Baby Monster’s” first test inside the world-famous Octagon will come against Felipe Franco, who is coming off a loss to Mario Pinto. Rodriguez hails from Brazil, and the surging big man wants to make a statement right away to show he’s here to cause a stir in the Heavyweight division.
Damien Anderson vs. Ezra Elliott are two UFC rookies booked to face off against each other last-minute. Anderson is undefeated (5-0) with four submissions on his resume, so he is all about getting in-and-out as quickly as possible. As for Elliott, he has been a bit more dominant, winning all seven of his professional fights in the first round, five by way of submission with two knockouts.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani escaped with a split decision win over Philip Rowe in his UFC debut, and now he is out to secure a much more convincing win in his sophomore effort when he battles Seok Hyeon Ko in a Welterweight offering. Lebosnoyani is currently riding a five-fight win streak, while Ko has six straight victories in his back pocket, which includes winning his first two fights under UFC’s banner.
After coming up short against Cristian Rodriguez in his Octagon debut, losing via unanimous decision back in Jan. 2025, Austin Bashi returned with a vengeance in his second fight, submitting John Yannis in the first round just seven months later. He will look to keep his momentum going when he battles Jose Delgado, who is coming in with a big win over Andre Fili, which moved his UFC record to 3-1, 8-1 overall in his last nine outings. This is a great matchup between two young Featherweight hoping to make a mark in the division sooner rather than later.
Stewart Nichol has had three fights inside the Octagon, coming up short in all of his attempts after kicking of his career with a perfect (8-0) record on the regional circuit. He will have one more opportunity to show what he is made of when he takes on Alden Coria, who is coming in with five straight victories, which includes winning his first two fights inside the Octagon.
Chase Hooper vs. Mitch Ramirez are both coming in with with two straight defeats ahead of their Lightweight collision, so they will be fighting with immense pressure while attempting to get much-needed wins. Hooper was enjoying a nice five-fight win streak up until he ran into Alexander Hernandez and Lance Gibson Jr., both of whom defeated him via first round technical knockout. As for Ramirez, he also suffered back-to-back to back technical knockout losses to kick off his UFC career; therefore, if he loses for a third straight time, a fourth opportunity will likely not be in his future.
Since losing to Israel Adesanya in his first and only UFC title fight back in 2022, Cannonier has gone 3-3 inside the Octagon, which simply won’t get it done if he ever wants to fight for the title again. He is 1-3 in his last four fights, with his most recent defeat coming against former Bellator MMA superstar, Michael Page. “Killa Gorilla” has all the raw talent in the world, but he is 42 years of age, so perhaps all of the years of putting on (and losing) weight to fight in three different divisions, mixed in with all of the wars he has been apart of, have taken their toll. He is currently ranked No. 10 at 185 pounds, and will attempt to get back into the win column when he goes up against Duncan, who is on a nice run as of late. Indeed, Duncan has won four straight in is 6-1 over his last seven fights, good enough to earn him the No. 12 spot in the rankings. He will attempt to sneak into the Top 10 with a win over Cannonier, which will be the biggest victory of his career.
After kicking off his MMA career with eight first-round stoppage wins, Tommy McMillen got the call to appear on Contender Series. While he got the win, his consecutive stoppage streak ended after defeating David Mgoyan via majority decision. That said, he managed to get a stoppage once more in his spectacular UFC debut, stopping Manolo Zecchini in the first round earlier this year (see it again here). Now, he will battle Alberto Montes, who is on fire in his own right with a four-fight win streak. Another product of Contender Series, Montes submitted Ricky Turcios in his UFC debut at UFC 326 earlier this year, putting the division on notice (highlights).
Full UFC Oklahoma City Fight Card:
UFC Oklahoma City Main Event on Paramount+:
185 lbs.: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman
UFC Oklahoma City Main Card on Paramount+ (8 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Jared Cannonier vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
155 lbs.: Chase Hooper vs. Mitch Ramirez
115 lbs.: Tabatha Ricci vs. Fatima Kline
145 lbs.: Tommy McMillen vs. Alberto Montes
Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman: Who wins and how?
Closes in 1 day • 85 total votes
UFC Oklahoma City ‘Prelims’ Card on Paramount+: (5 p.m. ET)
145 lbs.: Jose Delgado vs. Austin Bashi
170 lbs.: Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani vs. Seok Hyeon Ko
265 lbs.: Felipe Franco vs. Levi Rodrigues Jr.
125 lbs.: Alden Coria vs. Stewart Nicoll
265 lbs.: Alvin Hines vs. RJ Harris
125 lbs.: Dione Barbosa vs. Anna Melisano
145 lbs.: Ezra Elliott vs. Damien Anderson
*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*
