Du Plessis, Usman jockeying for title shot with UFC OKC matchup

For the primary time since June 2017, the octagon returns to Paycom Middle in Oklahoma Metropolis this Saturday with a 12-fight card that includes an unimaginable middleweight major occasion between a pair of former title-holders.

Right here’s a take a look at the highest storylines going into the occasion.

Du Plessis, Usman eyeing title bout vs. Strickland

Within the headliner, we have now a battle of former UFC champions with a possible title shot at 185 kilos on the road when former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis takes on former welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman.

Du Plessis has not fought since UFC 319 final August, when he misplaced a lopsided unanimous determination to Khamzat Chimaev, shedding his middleweight belt within the course of. However the 32-year-old South African native stays the UFC’s No. 2-ranked middleweight, so he’s nonetheless very a lot in title rivalry regardless of dropping a one-sided struggle to Chimaev.

That’s as a result of du Plessis already holds two determination wins over new UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland. When Strickland pulled off an enormous upset over Chimaev at UFC 328, it put du Plessis in a fantastic place at 185 kilos as a result of he has already confirmed he can beat Strickland (twice). So, if du Plessis can pull off a formidable win over Usman at UFC OKC, he may very effectively earn himself one other title shot towards Strickland.

For Usman, the 39-year-old Nigerian is shifting as much as the UFC middleweight division within the latter levels of his profession after spending most of his profession at welterweight, the place he was as soon as a dominant champion.

In Usman’s final struggle, he defeated Joaquin Buckley by way of unanimous determination at UFC Atlanta final June to show that the outdated man nonetheless has what it takes to win fights, having been on a three-fight skid earlier than that. Usman, like du Plessis, holds a earlier win over Strickland, although Usman’s is from once they had been each welterweights again in 2017. Nonetheless, there’s already a built-in storyline there, so if Usman can pull off a significant upset towards du Plessis on Saturday, there’s definitely the chance that he may leap the road and get the following title shot at 185 kilos towards Strickland.

It’s a captivating major occasion for the UFC’s return to OKC for the primary time in practically a decade. Whereas du Plessis — the youthful, extra sturdy fighter and middleweight stalwart — is the betting favorite to win this struggle, you’ll be able to by no means rely out somebody as skilled and profitable as Usman from profitable because the underdog. With a possible title shot on the road, search for these two to placed on an incredible present for the MMA followers of Oklahoma Metropolis.

Can Cannonier derail one other rising expertise?

Along with an thrilling major occasion, there’s additionally a key middleweight bout within the co-main occasion between Jared Cannonier and Christian Leroy Duncan.

At age 42, Cannonier is among the oldest fighters within the UFC, however he’s nonetheless profitable fights. In any case, it was simply final yr that he knocked out high contender Gregory Rodrigues in an exciting, back-and-forth struggle that earned Cannonier Comeback of the 12 months on the seventeenth Annual World MMA Awards. Cannonier is likely to be in his 40s now, however don’t inform him that, as he nonetheless carries his trademark knockout energy into his fights, which means you’ll be able to by no means rely him out in a struggle.

That stated, Cannonier has a tricky check in entrance of him at UFC OKC when he takes on the 30-year-old Brit Duncan, who has received 4 straight fights and 6 of his final seven. Duncan has been completely laying waste to his foes contained in the octagon as of late, and if he can go in there and beat the previous title contender in Cannonier, it’ll push him nearer to the elite at 185 kilos.

Kline seeking to cement elite contender standing

One other key struggle at UFC Oklahoma Metropolis is a girls’s strawweight bout between Fatima Kline and Tabatha Ricci, who took this struggle on quick discover rather than the injured Amanda Ribas.

At simply 26 years of age, Kline already seems like a future UFC girls’s strawweight champion. She has received her final three fights in a row, together with two wins by knockout, and is shortly shifting up the ladder at 115 kilos. She must get previous a tricky out right here in Ricci, the seventh-ranked 31-year-old Brazilian grappling sensation. However ought to Kline, presently ranked 14th within the division, win this struggle, she can be very near breaking into the higher echelon of the UFC girls’s strawweight ranks.

Lebosnoyani, Ko take comparable paths to head-on collision

One other key matchup that’s price declaring is a welterweight bout between Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani and Seokhyeon Ko.

The 27-year-old Lebosnoyani earned a UFC contract final summer time with a brutal knockout win over Jack Congdon on Dana White’s Contender Sequence. Then, in his UFC debut, he received a cut up determination over veteran Phil Rowe to point out he has what it takes to win fights contained in the octagon.

As for Ko, the 32-year-old South Korean native earned a UFC contract of his personal on DWCS two summers in the past, and since then, he has regarded extraordinarily good within the UFC, racking up two straight wins over Oban Elliot and the aforementioned Rowe by unanimous determination.

It’s at all times straightforward for the UFC matchmakers when two males are coming off a victory over the identical frequent opponent, and that’s the case right here with Lebosnoyani and Ko, who each beat Rowe of their final bout. Subsequently, it’s the perfect matchup for each, and the winner will definitely get a pleasant step up within the UFC welterweight division after this struggle is determined.

Can Coria stay as much as top-dog standing vs. Nicoll?

Lastly, it’s price declaring the flyweight bout on the prelims between Alden Coria and Stewart Nicoll. Based on the betting odds, this can be a squash match, as Coria is a 10-to-1 betting favourite, and for good cause, given he’s 2-0 within the UFC, whereas Nicoll is 0-3.

At simply 28, Coria trains alongside UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van at 4oz Struggle Membership in Houston, Texas. The similarities are apparent between the 2 once you watch them struggle, and if Coria can get a giant win right here, he could possibly be ranked within the high 15 at 125 kilos. He shouldn’t have any downside caring for Nicol, as his Australian foe hasn’t confirmed but that he can win within the UFC.