Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Dricus Du
Plessis returned to winning ways at
UFC Oklahoma City.

Nearly a year after losing his middleweight belt to Khamzat
Chimaev, du Plessis returned to action in a five-rounder
against former welterweight champ Kamaru
Usman, earning a lopsided unanimous decision win. The South
African's return made him realize how much he loves and belongs in
the sport.

UFC champion Dricus Du Plessis explains his mindset after
beating Kamaru Usman

“Stillknocks” was clearly on top in the opening two rounds, with
Usman finding his range in the third frame before du Plessis
regained his momentum in the fourth. Usman found a second wind in
the final round, but it was too little too late for “The Nigerian
Nightmare,†who was on the wrong end of a 50-45, 49-46, 49-46
scorecard.

Having spent 11 months on the sidelines coming off a loss, du
Plessis believes that one can forget what it's like inside the
Octagon during a lengthy hiatus. However, as soon as the fight
commenced, he felt right at home.

“Especially when you are away for that kind of time, you almost
forget what it's like to be there, dancing under the lights,†du
Plessis said after the fight. “But man, tonight I just walked out
there again and I realized… This is what I live with… This is what
this is about… This is why I started this game. I loved going out
there and fighting, but more than that, I loved competing.â€

He further emphasized that the pressure he feels in front of
thousands of fans in attendance is exactly what gets the best out
of him.

“I just knew this is what I live for.â€

Dricus Du
Plessis (@dricusduplessis)
was loving every moment of his main event win over Kamaru
Usman and is keen on getting a shot at regaining the
middleweight title. #UFCOKC

Complete Main Card Results âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/dl1etdlxD2 pic.twitter.com/RAlxy8sRIs

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
July 19, 2026

Colby
Covington and Belal
Muhammad’s long-running feud finally boiled over at RAF 11.

Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Muhammad defeated
Ben
Askren on points in the latter’s retirement wrestling match
before calling out Covington. Later that evening, “Chaos” defeated
Arman
Tsarukyan to capture the inaugural RAF crossover
championship.

They had to be separated after the wrestling promotion's Saturday
event in Milwaukee after a heated exchange at the post-fight press
conference escalated into a physical confrontation.

Former UFC stars Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad clash at
RAF 11

Following their wins at RAF 11, both Covington and Muhammad
attended the presser, where the former UFC welterweight titleholder
attempted to diminish the headliner's victory over Tsarukyan.

“He went against a lightweight!†Muhammad said of Covington. “Tell
him to go against a welterweight, somebody his size! Cleveland’s
right around the corner! Let’s go!â€

“Bro, you barely beat the dead guy!†Covington quickly fired back.
“This guy can only score on dead guys and gargoyles. That’s it.
You’re a bum, bro.â€

RAF officials then announced that Covington and Muhammad will meet
in the co-main event of RAF 12 in Cleveland next month, adding
another chapter to their heated rivalry.

“It will be the easiest match I get in RAF,†Covington said. “I
can’t believe they’re going to give me a free win like that. Easy
money. No one’s beating me for this belt.â€

“Let’s see if he shows up in August,†Muhammad replied.

The exchange continued to intensify as Covington threatened to slap
Muhammad, prompting the latter to leap from his seat and charge
toward his rival. Security and event officials intervened before
the two could make contact, though Muhammad threw a kick in
Covington’s direction as the pair were separated. Covington then
attempted to close the distance, sparking a brief scuffle before
both men were escorted from the stage.

Convington recently exited the UFC roster, while Muhammad is on a
three-fight skid.

😲Belal
Muhammad threw a kick at Colby
Covington during a heated altercation at the RAF press
conference, forcing officials to separate the two.

(Via Putt6) pic.twitter.com/hkX1ZW92l6

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
July 19, 2026

Alexandre
Pantoja is eager to reclaim the
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title.

The former 125-pound champion has been sidelined since suffering an
arm injury in his title defense against Joshua Van
at
UFC 323 last year. “The Cannibal” has now fully healed and
believes he is ready to run it back with Van.

Alexandre Pantoja says he’s fully recovered and wants another
shot at UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van.

Pantoja suffered an arm injury very early into his fight with Van,
who caught his kick and forced him backwards before the Brazilian
awkwardly posted up on his hand. The referee stopped the bout at 26
seconds, with Pantoja clearly in pain, clutching his arm. His
recovery is now complete and he's targeting an Octagon return.

“I’m ready,†Pantoja told MMA Fighting. “After December, what happened to
my arm, two days after that, I went to the gym, started training
with just one arm. That’s who I am. I’m not done. I’m not done. I
have so much to conquer. I have so much to prove. I want to take
the belt again. I want to be UFC champion one more time.â€

After his anticlimactic title-winning effort, Van successfully
defended the flyweight crown with a fifth-round stoppage of
Tatsuro
Taira at
UFC 328. Pantoja has now praised the champion’s performance and
believes the division has gotten more interesting during his
absence.

“Flyweight is better than ever,” Pantoja said. “I think what
happened with me last year made the division more fire. Now I have
the opportunity to take over and beat everybody again.”

While he accepts the result of his loss to Van, Pantoja believes
he's still the better fighter.

“Of course, I have unfinished business with Joshua Van. As an
athlete, I know I lost the fight,†he added. “That happened. But
like a man, I don’t think he beat me. I’m still here. I’m ready to
fight. I’m in amazing shape. Let’s see what happens next.â€