UFC's third-ever trip to Oklahoma City turned into one of those cards where the prelims almost stole the show before the main event even started. Tommy McMillen needed a while to finish his job against Montes, but when it finally came together, the crowd at Paycom Center knew they'd just watched a bonus-worthy performance.
Fans immediately started calling for a Performance of the Night bonus for McMillen.
ANOTHER BONUS ON THE WAY FOR TOMMY GUNN!!! This guy is awesome what an amazing fight #UFCOKC
It wasn't a quick finish, and it wasn't pretty for Montes, who reportedly gave everything he had before the stoppage. That's the kind of fight that gets replayed on highlight packages for weeks, and it set the tone for a card that kept delivering finishes and statements deeper into the night.
Elsewhere on the card, Kline turned in the kind of well-rounded showing that gets people talking title picture years down the road, and Jared Cannonier gave CLD a real test before dropping a decision — a reminder that even a fading veteran like Cannonier can still make a night miserable for a rising name.
The reaction to CLD's win over Cannonier was respectful, but not exactly a coronation.
Cannonier is such a tough, durable, experienced fighter so respect to CLD for getting the win but not exactly the championship caliber performance the people were hoping for #UFCOKC
Then came the main event everyone actually bought the card for. Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman, two former champions with a combined resume that reads like a UFC highlight reel, squared off with du Plessis looking to bounce back from his lone UFC loss to Khamzat Chimaev and Usman trying to prove he's still got something left at 39. Before the fight, the chatter leaned toward fireworks.
The pre-fight buzz had fans expecting DDP's power to be the deciding factor if Usman couldn't get the fight to the mat.
DDP is gonna end up KOing Usman with one of these right hands if he doesn’t start wrestling #UFCOKC
Instead, du Plessis got the better of a five-round battle, winning a unanimous decision by scores of 50-45 and 49-46 twice. Usman had his moments and showed the kind of grit that got him to two title reigns in the first place, but it wasn't enough to stop his skid — his fourth loss in his last five fights. Du Plessis, meanwhile, put himself right back in the middleweight title conversation.
The final read on the main event captured both the punishment Usman absorbed and the respect both fighters earned for grinding through five rounds.
Usman showing that championship heart but that was a hell of a performance by DDP. Made Kamaru do the chicken dance like 4 times idk how he kept surviving. Respect to both future hall of famers 🫡 #UFCOKC
What's next is the real question. Du Plessis made clear afterward he wants the belt he held a year ago back, while Usman stayed noncommittal about his future — including whether he'll even stick at middleweight. For a card that started with McMillen bonus talk and ended with a former two-division great searching for answers, UFC OKC turned out to be a night full of statements, just not always the ones people expected walking in.