Islam Makhachev Predicts Dricus du Plessis to Beat Kamaru Usman at UFC OKC

Islam Makhachev, the UFC welterweight champion, believes Dricus du Plessis will defeat Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City.

What happened?

Speaking to Murad Machaev in a recent interview, Makhachev said he is picking du Plessis to beat Usman tonight at UFC Oklahoma City. "It's going to be a tough fight. He'll probably try to wrestle… To be honest, I think du Plessis wins. Usman's knees are bad, he can't wrestle constantly," Makhachev said (via Bloody Elbow).

Why it matters for Islam Makhachev

Even though Makhachev is picking du Plessis to beat Usman at UFC OKC, he thinks that Usman is making a smart risk here by moving up to middleweight because, if he does pull off the upset, then it could land him a title shot against UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, whom Usman already has a win over in 2017 when they both fought at welterweight. "Kamaru Usman made a smart move, I was wondering why he moved up but if he beats Du Plessis he'll become the next title contender because he already has a win over Sean Strickland, that's why he decided to take the risk," Makhachev said.

What comes next?

Ultimately, we'll see if this risk is worth it for Usman, as this is not going to be an easy fight. But if he can wrestle consistently and take du Plessis down to the ground and control him on the mat, then perhaps he will have a good chance to pull off the upset.

The latest betting odds agree with Makhachev. Right now, with the fight just hours away, du Plessis is a -200 favorite, with Usman as a +175 underdog. The odds have been steadily going down all week, but du Plessis will still enter the fight as the favorite.

The event takes place on July 18, 2026, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.