How Much Dricus Du Plessis Earned After Dominant UFC Oklahoma City Victory

Dricus Du Plessis walked away from UFC Oklahoma City with more than just a statement victory over Kamaru Usman.

Following his unanimous decision win on 18 July 2026, the South African earned a $100,000 Fight of the Night bonus after an action-packed five-round main event.

While the UFC has not officially confirmed the full purse details, Du Plessis’ total earnings are believed to be significantly higher than the performance bonus alone.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dricus du Plessis (@dricusduplessis)

Fight of the Night bonus boosts payday

Du Plessis received a guaranteed $100,000 Fight of the Night bonus, worth roughly R1.8 million.

Based on previous non-title UFC main event payouts for fighters of his calibre, his base purse is estimated to have been between $350,000 and $500,000. Additional earnings are also believed to come from promotional compliance payments and other contractual bonuses.

Because UFC Oklahoma City was a Fight Night event rather than a numbered pay-per-view card, Du Plessis was not eligible for pay-per-view points, making his overall payout lower than his previous championship fights.

Even so, his total pre-tax earnings for the victory over Usman are estimated to be between $600,000 and $950,000.

After losing the UFC middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev in late 2025, Du Plessis is no longer believed to be competing under a champion’s contract, which reportedly paid him around $1 million per fight.

Du Plessis dominates the statistics

Du Plessis returned to winning ways with a unanimous decision victory over Usman, with the judges scoring the contest 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46.

The official fight statistics highlighted his dominance across the five rounds.

He landed 136 of 273 significant strikes for an accuracy of 49.8%, while Usman landed 92 of 234 significant strikes at 39.3%.

Overall, Du Plessis out-struck the former welterweight champion 139-99.

Usman attempted seven takedowns but failed to secure any, with Du Plessis successfully defending every attempt. Du Plessis attempted two takedowns but was also unsuccessful.

Du Plessis also hurt Usman early with a heavy punch that affected his opponent’s vision in his left eye before repeatedly rocking him with powerful right hands, head kicks and step-in knees throughout the 25-minute contest.

Dana White responds to title talk

Speaking after the event, UFC CEO Dana White praised the performances of both fighters but stopped short of confirming who would receive the next middleweight title opportunity.

Although Du Plessis strengthened his position as the No. 2-ranked contender and owns two previous victories over current champion Sean Strickland, White said he was not ready to discuss the next title fight immediately after the event.

Some analysts have suggested Du Plessis could first meet Nassourdine Imavov in a number-one contender bout.

Du Plessis believes his latest performance strengthened his case for another title shot.

“When it comes to the title shot, I said a win wouldn’t give me a title shot. But damn, a performance like that would give me a title shot.”

White also dismissed suggestions that Usman should retire, saying the former champion still has plenty left to offer after competing against a naturally bigger opponent. He suggested Usman take time to recover before deciding whether to continue fighting at middleweight or return to the welterweight division.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Monster Energy (@monsterenergy)

Middleweight rankings

Du Plessis remains the UFC’s No. 2-ranked middleweight following his victory over Usman.

The current middleweight rankings are:

• Champion: Sean Strickland
• No. 1: Khamzat Chimaev
• No. 2: Dricus Du Plessis
• No. 3: Nassourdine Imavov

Du Plessis also remains among the sport’s elite on the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, where he is currently ranked No. 13 in the world.

The victory keeps the South African firmly in the title picture as he looks to earn another opportunity to challenge for the UFC middleweight championship.

Read Inbound SA online