7/16/25

The UFC heads to Oklahoma City for a highly anticipated matchup between two former champions in Kamaru Usman and Dricus Du Plessis. The winner of this could very well be in position to have a shot at the middleweight title next, and there are a lot of questions in the air about how this fight will go down. The main event isn’t the only great thing about the card, though, as there are many young prospects, veterans of the sport, and ranked fights up and down the card. Let’s take a look at what fans have to look forward to in Oklahoma City.

Tommy McMillen vs Alberto Montes: Featherweight

Two prospects with impressive records in their young careers are set to face off to start the main card. Tommy McMillen comes into the fight with a record of 10-0 and 2-0 in the UFC, including a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. He is set to face Alberto Montes, who is 11-1 in his career and 2-0 in the UFC, with his last win coming in March. This will be a great fight for both of us to see where their skills stack up among those who are up and coming. They have already been put into a position to start the main card in front of the large Oklahoma City crowd.

This will be the biggest fight of their young careers, with pressure mounting for both of them, which will just make them better in the octagon. Stylistically, this will be a fun matchup as well. Montes is great on the ground and a massive submission threat, with seven out of his eleven wins being by submission. McMillen, on the other hand, has a grappling background but has shown he can put people to sleep as well and seems like the more well-rounded fighter. Nonetheless, it will be a great fight to start the night in OKC.

Tabatha Ricci vs Fatima Kline: Women’s Strawweight

In the first ranked fight of the night, #8 ranked Tabatha Ricci is set to face #11 ranked Fatima Kline as both women look to climb the women’s strawweight division in hopes of a title shot. Ricci is 12-4 in her career and 7-4 in the UFC while also coming off a loss to title contender Virna Jandiroba this last April. Despite the loss, she remains in the top ten rankings and will be fighting someone looking to break into the top ten, Fatima Kline. Kline is 9-1 in her career and had an impressive run in the Invicta Fighting Championship, where she won two belts before coming to the UFC, where she is 3-1. Kline had been looking for the fight that would break her into the rankings, and now she has it.

Most of Ricci’s wins have been by decision, and even her losses have been by decision, so she isn’t too much of a knockout artist or dangerous grappler despite having three submission wins in her career. Kline, on the other hand, has four knockouts out of her nine career wins and seems to have a little more power in her hands. Ricci is coming off a loss, but it’s to someone who just fought for the belt a few fights ago in Virna Jandiroba, so Ricci has already felt what it’s like with a high-caliber UFC fighter. Kline hasn’t fought anyone on Jandiroba’s level yet, but she is on a three-fight win streak and looks to continue that come Saturday.

Chase Hooper vs Mitch Ramirez: Lightweight

Chase Hooper and Mitch Ramirez are two fighters that are looking to get back into the win column when they square off in OKC. Ramirez is still young in his MMA career, but his time in the UFC could be better, as he is currently 0-2 in the promotion so far. Chase Hooper is 8-5 in his UFC career but is coming off two back-to-back losses by knockout and needs a win to keep him hovering around the rankings. Hooper is a good grappler, with 50% of his wins coming by submission, and has knockouts on his record to show he can put people out.

Most of Ramirez’s wins have been by knockout, but the issue he has to worry about is that he has been knocked out or TKO’d in three of his last four fights. His chin might be questionable, and with someone like Hooper, who is a lengthy fighter who can keep him at range, there are a lot of questions as to how the fight will play out. A win for either fighter, though, would be big as both look to try and break into the rankings. Fans will find out Saturday.

Jared Cannonier vs Christian Leroy Duncan: Middleweight

Jared Cannonier makes his return after almost a year to face the #12-ranked middleweight in Christian Leroy Duncan, who has already had an impressive UFC career so far while being 7-2. Duncan is 14-2 in his career, with ten of those wins being by knockout, which gives him a 71% finish rate when he fights. Cannonier, though, has seen the who’s who of fighters in the middleweight division and has fought some of the best fighters the weight class has seen. He has beaten some and lost to some, but there is no denying he has been a staple at middleweight for a long time. It’s even more impressive for him to be this highly ranked still despite him being 42 and not fighting as actively as he used to.

This is a massive fight for Duncan to cement his place among the top middleweights in the world, and defeating Cannonier would be a great addition to his resume. Cannonier, on the other hand, still believes that he has a lot left to give the sport and wants to make one final climb up the rankings before he calls it a career. This will likely be a striking showdown with two men who have lots of power in their hands paired with good technique. Fans should be ready for what could be a fight of the night contender when these two meet in the octagon.

Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman

Two former champions meet for the first time to decide who the next middleweight contender could be. Kamaru Usman has already made a legacy in the sport and is an all-time great in the welterweight division. Dricus Du Plessis, on the other hand, became a champion after dominating the division since his first fight in the UFC and even beat two-time champion Sean Strickland to claim the belt and defend it. Both men are now without a belt, but this fight could push one of them into being next up for the title after Nassourdine Imavov.

There are a lot of questions surrounding this fight stylistically because Du Plessis’s last fight showed a slight flaw in his game, which is wrestling/grappling. Now, of course, he is a good grappler, but Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman are on another level on the ground. Usman is a very good striker as well and even underrated at times. With a good jab and distance management, Kamaru could give Du Plessis problems. Du Plessis, however, is massive for the weight class and maybe the most unorthodox fighter in the promotion. The whole narrative around DDP is that he somehow wins fights without any technique or smoothness to his skills. He just stumbles upon wins, it seems, and it brought him to a championship.

Someone as unorthodox as DDP makes it hard for anyone to fight, and Khamzat Chimaev succeeded because he didn’t give Du Plessis a moment to get a rhythm or collect himself. Chimaev smothered him for five straight rounds, which isn’t something that Du Plessis will worry about when facing Usman. DDP will come back as the best version of himself with improved grappling and a size advantage that makes him durable and intimidating. Usman will mix in his grappling and his jab, but can he hold Du Plessis down and do enough to get the win? So many questions that will all be answered Saturday, July 18th in Oklahoma City.