Dricus Du Plessis has declared his intention to maintain his standing among the UFC's top middleweights at UFC OKC. The event is scheduled for July 18 at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
South African middleweight Dricus Du Plessis has made clear he intends to protect his position among the UFC's elite when he competes at UFC OKC on July 18, with the event airing on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET.
Du Plessis enters the bout ranked second in the middleweight division and seventh in the pound-for-pound standings, carrying a professional record of 23-3-0. The 32-year-old from South Africa, who trains out of Team CIT, operates out of a switch stance and brings a physical frame to the cage — standing six feet one inch tall with a 76-inch reach. His numbers reflect a high-output, well-rounded approach: he lands 5.18 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy, while also threatening consistently on the ground with 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes and 0.7 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Du Plessis sits just one step removed from the middleweight championship, making any performance here directly relevant to the divisional pecking order.
- A fighter ranked this high in both the divisional and pound-for-pound lists has little margin for error — a loss could disrupt his path back to title contention.
- His switch stance and combination of striking volume and grappling activity make him a stylistically demanding opponent for anyone at 185 pounds.
