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UFC Oklahoma City live blog: Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman

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UFC Oklahoma City live blog: Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman

This is the live blog for Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman, the middleweight main event for Saturday's UFC Oklahoma City card at Paycom Center in Oklahoma.

A former UFC middleweight champion, du Plessis has been out of action for nearly a year, last fighting in August when he dropped his title to Khamzat Chimaev in a defeat defined by du Plessis' inability to stop takedowns. Now, “DDP†is finally ready to get back in the cage and make another run at the belt, and he starts with one of the best wrestlers in welterweight history, Kamaru Usman.

Like du Plessis, Usman is a former champion, holding the UFC's welterweight title for enough years to nearly get into the conversation for divisional GOAT alongside Georges St-Pierre. An upset loss to Leon Edwards ended all that and started a tough slide for Usman, who rebounded with a win last summer over Joaquin Buckley in Atlanta. Now, Usman hopes to earn a title shot with a win over the former middleweight champion, either at middleweight or welterweight.

Check out the UFC Oklahoma City: du Plessis vs. Usman live blog below.

Fence grabs, illegal knees, and more… It was a bit of a strange affair in the middleweight co-main between Jared Cannonier and Christian Leroy Duncan. Totally unrelated to the action in the cage, but reigning UFC champ Justin Gaethje definitely got the biggest pop from the crowd when the production team showed him on the big screen.

So with the crowd buzzing, and a killer promo package airing, Du Plessis and Usman finally made their way to the octagon. Ever the showman, Usman danced his way through the fighter checkpoint with the legendary Henri Hooft and Trevor Wittman in his corner. Not to be outdone, Du Plessis hit the arena with his signature ‘Live It Up' by Airbourne walkout song.

With a touch of the gloves, we are underway! Du Plessis immediately takes center of hte octagon and lands a kick, followed by a counter left. Usman feints the takedown, but Du Plessis doesn't bite. Du Plessis connects with a leg kick and a left high kick. Usman blocks a quick one-two but doesn't follow up with his own offense. Usman eats a left jab and misses with an overhand. Du Plessis clubs him with a right hand and momentarily wobbles him. Usman is clearly struggling with the range as Du Plessis picks up the momentum.

Settling down, Usman finally finds a home for an overhand right but eats a jab as he backtracks. Both men are just trading leather in the center. Du Plessis connects with an uppercut as he continues to find his rhythm. Usman finally clinches up and shoves Du Plessis into the fence. An accidental low blow forces the ref to separate them, and Du Plessis responds with another left high kick. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Du Plessis.

Usman comes out with an overhand right but only connects with air. Du Plessis connects with two left high kicks and wobbles Usman with a standing knee. The crowd starts chanting ‘DDP' as Du Plessis continues to put it on visibly hurt Usman.

Usman eats another knee and shoots for a takedown. Du Plessis defends, scrambles to his feet, and separates. Every time Usman attacks, Du Plessis counters with a flurry and a knee to the jaw. It's honestly amazing that Usman's chin has held up as he continues to take a beating. After a wild flurry, Usman complains of an eyepoke, but the replay clearly shows it was a clean right hook, and the referee forces them back into action. Du Plessis smells blood as he cuts open Usman's eye.

The power difference has never been more evident as Du Plessis plants yet another knee to the jaw with 60 seconds left. Du Plessis lands another right hand as the round. comes to an end. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Du Plessis.

Du Plessis opens with a kick to the body. Usman responds with a stabbing kick up the middle, followed by a clean left to the jaw. Usman is clearly relying on his straight kick, but Du Plessis sees it coming as he evades. Usman lunges and eats another knee up the middle. Both men exchange kicks and body attacks, but Du Plessis finds a home for his left question mark kick.

Usman starts to settle down as he peppers the straight kick up the middle before feinting a takedown. Du Plessis is now finding a home for the body kick, but Usman throws off the attack with a quick level change. Du Plessis switches to orthodox and lands a picture-perfect one-two and narrowly misses with another standing knee.

Usman snatches a leg and finally secures the takedown. Too bad Du Plessis pops right back up and delivers that standing knee. With 30 seconds left, Usman has clearly fought his way back into the round as his kick up the middle finds its way through. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Du Plessis.

It's the championship round, and Usman is ready for more as he marches to the center. With his confidence high, Usman looks to take control early, but Du Plessis evades everything. Usman finally takes control of the center as he begins throwing with bad intentions, refusing to let Du Plessis fight at his pace. Usman continues to land his push kick, but Du Plessis wobbles him with another left high kick.

Du Plessis snaps Usman's head back with a combo before throwing and landing another left high kick. Usman laughs it off, but eats a massive right from Du Plessis. Usman looks to avoid damage with an ill-timed takedown.

It's starting to look more and more like the opening two rounds as Du Plessis bullies Usman around the octagon. Usman won't get quiet into the night but misses widely with a combination. With 60 seconds left, Usman's head snaps back from a combination. Usman lands a beauty of a combination. Du Plessis doesn't relent as he closes the round out with another left high kick. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Du Plessis.

With the crowd on their feet, both men touch gloves for the final round. Du Plessis misses with a flying knee, and Usman responds with a quick combination and level change. Usman evades a series of kicks and fakes another takedown. Du Plessis whips in a left jab as Usman circles away. With his offense almost gone, Usman snaps out of it and looks for a combination of his own.

Du Plessis accidentally lands a kick to the groin, forcing the referee to pause the action.

Usman doesn't take the full time to recover, jumps right back into the fire, and immediately eats a barrage of right head kicks. With his opponent reeling, Du Plessis swarms for the kill. Somehow, Usman survives and marches Du Plessis back to the center.

In a shock turn of events, Du Plessis shoots for the takedown. Usman defends, lands his own knee, and shoves Du Plessis away. With new life under him, Usman pushes forward as Du Plessis backs towards the fence. Circling away, Du Plessis eats a swarm of punches. Breathing heavily, Du Plessis eats wild right hand as Usman refuses to relent.

As the clock hits 15 seconds, Usman blocks a kick and rushes forward. Du Plessis runs away as he covers up against the fence as the clock hits zero. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Usman.

Dricus du Plessis defeats Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)

Du Plessis praises “warrior†Usman for actually fighting him and roasts Khamzat Chimaev for “laying on him†in their last fight before declaring “let's get my belt back.â€

Always the sportsman, Usman gives Du Plessis his props for his toughness, but questions the judges who said he lost every round. The former champion says he had an “off night†but won't make any decisions on which weight class he'll fight next.

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UFC 331: 'Van vs. Pantoja 2' Live Results and Highlights

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7 hours ago

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September 20, 2026

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UFC 331: 'Van vs. Pantoja 2' Live Results and Highlights
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The Octagon returns to Los Angeles for tonight's UFC 331 event, a 12-bout fight card headlined by Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2.

Van and Pantoja originally collided at UFC 323 in December of last year, where ‘The Fearless' walked away with the promotion's coveted men's flyweight title after ‘The Cannibal' suffered a nasty arm injury the rendered him unable to continue (see that here).

Joshua Van (17-2 MMA) has since successfully defended the 125lbs strap, this after earning a fifth-round TKO victory over Japanese standout Tatsuro Taira. The 24-year-old will enter tonight's rematch sporting a seven-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Pantoja (30-6 MMA) will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since suffering the aforementioned arm injury against Van at UFC 323. Prior to that setback, ‘The Cannibal' was riding a seven-fight winning streak, a stretch which included four successful title defenses over the likes of Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France.

UFC 331 is co-headlined by a highly anticipated lightweight bout featuring Arman Tsarukyan taking on Maurício Ruffy.

(via Zuffa LLC)

Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA) will enter the contest on a five-fight winning streak, with his most recent Octagon victory coming against Dan Hooker via second-round submission in November of 2025. Prior to that triumph, ‘Batman' had earned a split decision win over current BMF title holder Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

Meanwhile, Maurício Ruffy (14-2 MMA) was most previously seen in action at June's UFC Freedom 250 event, where he scored an impressive first-round TKO win over former lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler. The hard-hitting Brazilian has gone 4-1 over his past five fights, with his lone setback in that time coming against Benoit Saint Denis by way of submission.

If that wasn't enough to get you interested, tonight's UFC 331 main card lineup also features a featherweight matchup between Patrício Pitbull and Doo Ho Choi.

Pitbull (37-9 MMA) will enter the bout looking to rebound, this after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Aaron Pico at April's UFC 327 event. Prior to that setback, the former Bellator champion was coming off a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige.

Meanwhile, Doo Ho Choi (17-4-1 MMA) currently boasts a three-fight winning streak, this after scoring TKO victories over Bill Algeo, Nate Landwehr and Daniel Santos. Prior to those impressive finishes, the Korean standout had fought Kyle Nelson to a majority draw.

Get all of tonight's live results and highlights below (refresh for updates):

UFC 331 Main Card (Paramount+, 9 p.m. ET)

Joshua Van (125) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (125) – Van def. Pantoja by unanimous decision (49–46, 49–47, 50–45)

Arman Tsarukyan (156) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (155) – Tsarukyan def. Ruffy via KO (elbow) at 4:57 of Round 1

Patricio Pitbull (145.5) vs. Doo Ho Choi (146) – Pitbull def. Choi via KO (punches) at 3:28 of Round 1

Gable Steveson (240) vs. Sean Sharaf (241) – Sharaf def. Steveson via KO (punch) at 0:12 of Round 1

Alonzo Menifield (205.5) vs. Iwo Baraniewski (206) – Menifield def. Baraniewski by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

UFC 331 Prelims (Paramount+, 7 p.m. ET)

Marlon Vera (136) vs. Charles Jourdain (135) – Vera def. Jourdain via TKO at 2:02 of Round 3

Tai Tuivasa (264.5) vs. Robelis Despaigne (263) – Despaigne def. Tuivasa by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Michael Aswell (146) vs. Joo Sang Yoo (145.5) – Aswell def. Yoo by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Ryan Gandra (186) vs. Ozzy Diaz (186) – Gandra def. Diaz via TKO (punches) at 2:04 of Round 1

UFC 331 Early Prelims (Paramount+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

Edmen Shahbazyan (185) vs. Brunno Ferreira (184.5) – Shahbazyan def. Ferreira by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)

Casey O'Neill (125) vs. Eduarda Moura (125.5) – O'Neil def. Moura via submission (armbar) at 3:22 of Round 1

Giga Chikadze (146) vs. Joanderson Brito (145.5) – Brito def. Chikadze via KO (punches) at 1:57 of Round 1

Who are you picking to win tonight's flyweight title fight rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja? Share your predictions in the comment section Penn Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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UFC 331 Results: Arman Tsarukyan KO's Mauricio Ruffy (Video)

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8 hours ago

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September 19, 2026

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UFC 331 Results: Arman Tsarukyan KO's Mauricio Ruffy (Video)
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We have you covered for all of tonight's UFC 331 results, including the lightweight co-main event between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy.

Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA) will enter the contest on a five-fight winning streak, with his most recent Octagon victory coming against Dan Hooker via second-round submission in November of 2025. Prior to that triumph, ‘Batman' had earned a split decision win over current BMF title holder Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

Meanwhile, Maurício Ruffy (14-2 MMA) was most previously seen in action at June's UFC Freedom 250 event, where he scored an impressive first-round TKO win over former lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler. The hard-hitting Brazilian has gone 4-1 over his past five fights, with his lone setback in that time coming against Benoit Saint Denis by way of submission.

Round one of the UFC 331 co-main event begins and Arman Tsarukyan lands a low kick to start. Mauricio Ruffy has his right hand ready to fire. He trades low kicks with Arman. Both men swing shots in the pocket but nothing lands flush. Ruffy with a good right hand that appears to stun Tsarukyan, at least for a second. Arman shoots in and is able to get a hold of single leg. He gets the fight to the floor for a second, but Ruffy defends well and is able to get back up to his feet quickly. Tsarukyan still has the Brazilian pressed against the cage. He lands a couple of knees before attempting another takedown. Ruffy once again defends the shot. His defense has definitely improved after working with Volk. Still, Arman Tsarukyan continues to control the fight. He gets a body lock and trips Mauricio Ruffy to the ground. The Brazilian quickly pops back up to his feet. Arman has some serious swelling on his face. He manages to get on the back of Ruffy. He can't keep the position and we are back to clinch fighting along the fence. Mauricio Ruffy with a nice right. Arman Tsarukyan with a combination in return. He lands an elbow and Ruffy is out cold! Amazing finish!

Official UFC 331 Results: Arman Tsarukyan def. Mauricio Ruffy via KO (elbow) at 4:57 of Round 1

Who would you like to see Tsarukyan fight next following his KO victory over Ruffy this evening in Los Angeles? Share your thoughts in the comment section Penn Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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UFC 331: Live updates, highlights for Van vs. Pantoja

Published

8 hours ago

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September 19, 2026

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UFC 331: Live updates, highlights for Van vs. Pantoja

This is the UFC 331 live blog for Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski, the main card light heavyweight bout Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Menifield (18-7-1) heads into Saturday night's event as the underdog, but the 205-pound veteran has a habit of spoiling the plans of the matchmakers. This past May, he headed into enemy territory to win a thrilling striking battle against China's Zhang Mingyang, and was previously the first man to defeat French prospect Oumar Sy. He has won three of his past four fights.

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