UFC: du Plessis vs. Usman Preview, Odds, Predictions (Jul 18)
- du Plessis vs. Usman odds favor Dricus at -260
- Both guys were the UFC champions, du Plessis in middleweight and Kamaru in welterweight division.
- The bout is the main event of UFC Fight Night 281.
These guys were the UFC middleweight champions. While du Plessis still has enough time to attack the title once more, Usman is nearing the end of his career.
More UFC previews and picks are available here.
How to Watch
- When: Saturday, July 18, 9 PM ET
- Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- How to Watch: Paramount+
du Plessis vs. Usman Odds
Fight Preview
Dricus du Plessis (23-3) lost to Khamzat in his last appearance, losing the UFC middleweight belt. The champion was demolished at the time by the Russian, who completely dominated the battle in every respect. That’s how his 11-bout winning streak stopped. During that time, he beat many big names, like Darren Till, Robert Whittaker, Adesanya, and Sean Strickland twice.
du Plessis is an incredibly strong fighter whose cardio is excellent, and whose punches do look wild and lose, but are very, very nasty and powerful. Khamzat found the way to neutralize that by taking the bout to the mat, and even though Dricus has 11 wins via submission, precisely due to his raw power, he couldn’t do anything.
Kamaru is 39 years old, and this is his last chance to get another shot at the belt. Sure, there have been older fighters to win the UFC title, but that’s pretty rare. Once the most dominant guy in the organization had three losses before finally beating Joaquin Buckley back in June 2025.
Usman lost the title in 2022 to Leon Edwards via a vicious KO, and after that, lost the rematch via majority decision. He met with Khamzat in October 2023 to suffer another majority decision, and eventually had an almost two-year pause. We all know how fantastic a wrestler he was, though, there is an enigma regarding his current condition and his knees, which are pretty banged up.
du Plessis vs. Usman Predictions
Dricus is way too strong for Kamaru, who had just one battle in the last year. We respect Usman, but expect to see him in an inferior position throughout the entire battle. Simply, du Plessis is stronger than him, and that’s it, even though many think that his wrestling might be a problem for the South African. Our final pick, du Plessis, via stoppage.
Free UFC Pick: du Plessis via stoppage
