Dricus Du Plessis reminded the MMA world exactly why he remains one of the UFC’s most dangerous middleweights. Making his first appearance since August 2025, the former 185-pound champion returned in dominant fashion at UFC Oklahoma, cruising to a unanimous decision victory over former welterweight king Kamaru Usman.
The judges scored the five-round main event 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46 in favor of the South African, who looked in complete control from the opening bell. Fighting with the same awkward yet highly effective style that has troubled the division for years, Du Plessis blended explosive power with unpredictable movement, giving Usman few opportunities to establish any rhythm.
His jab and punishing calf kicks dictated the range early before he repeatedly connected with his trademark question-mark kick, rocking the former champion on multiple occasions. Over 25 minutes, Du Plessis landed an impressive 136 significant strikes, overwhelming Usman with a relentless mix of volume, accuracy, and power in one of the finest striking performances of his UFC career.
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While ‘Stillknocks’ used his post-fight interview to call for a trilogy bout against Sean Strickland, he delivered an even more entertaining moment shortly afterward with a playful callout aimed at former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
The celebration, captured by content creator Jackson O’Doherty, quickly made the rounds on social media. In the video, O’Doherty and Du Plessis celebrated the victory by downing drinks before the South African recreated Nate Diaz’s legendary post-fight callout of Conor McGregor that famously set up their blockbuster clashes at UFC 196 and UFC 202.
After knocking back a beer and a coffee martini, Du Plessis swapped McGregor’s name for another African MMA icon. He said, “Francis Ngannou, you’re taking everything I worked for, motherfucker. I wanna fight your ass”
Dricus Du Plessis slams a beer and a martini in seconds and calls out Francis Ngannou
“Francis Ngannou, you’re taking everything I worked for motherf*cker” pic.twitter.com/7U5etN4SiZ
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) July 20, 2026
Fans immediately recognized the reference and viewed it as a tongue-in-cheek declaration in Du Plessis’ quest to become the undisputed king of African MMA. The former middleweight champion now owns victories over two of the sport’s most celebrated African-born stars.
For the unversed, he has defeated Israel Adesanya by submission to retain the middleweight title at UFC 305 before adding Kamaru Usman to his resume at UFC Oklahoma. Ngannou is now the only remaining member of that elite group, though a fight between the two will never happen.
For the unversed, Usman, Adesanya, and Ngannou were famously known as the “Three Kings of Africa” due to their simultaneous reigns as UFC champions and their shared African heritage. Between March 2021 and August 2022, all three held UFC titles at the same time across different weight classes: Usman at welterweight, Adesanya at middleweight, and Ngannou at heavyweight.
All three fighters were born in Africa: Usman and Adesanya in Nigeria, and Ngannou in Cameroon, before emigrating to other countries. Throughout their championship runs, they proudly embraced their roots by walking out with their national flags and wearing traditional attire during media appearances.
With Du Plessis representing South Africa and now owning wins over both Adesanya and Usman, his humorous Ngannou callout carried a symbolic undertone, making it one of the night’s funniest and most memorable moments.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
