Du Plessis vs. Usman Is a Wrestling Test Worth Watching From the Mats

Dricus du Plessis skipped an easy rebound fight and picked a career wrestler for his comeback instead, and the takedown-defense numbers explain exactly why.

Why Du Plessis Picked a Wrestler, Not Another Striker

After losing the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev earlier this year, du Plessis could have chased an easy rebound against another kickboxer-heavy opponent. Instead he pushed for Kamaru Usman, a former long-reigning welterweight champion whose entire career was built on wrestling control rather than flashy striking. Du Plessis has been blunt about the reasoning: beating another striker would not answer the real question hanging over his title reign, which is whether he can stop a genuine wrestler from putting him on his back.

That question exists because of how the Chimaev fight actually unfolded. Du Plessis spent long stretches of that bout pinned to the canvas, unable to find his feet, and walked away from Las Vegas having kept his belt for barely any time before losing it, along with a scouting report every future opponent could exploit. Usman, now on the far side of his own championship prime, still represents the toughest available test of that specific weakness, which is exactly why du Plessis wanted him for July 18 in Oklahoma City.

The Numbers Behind the Grappling Mismatch

Look at the defensive side of the ledger and the gap is stark. Du Plessis has stopped only about a third of the takedowns attempted against him over his career, a rate that puts him among the more vulnerable names in the middleweight top ten. Usman, on the other hand, has shut down close to nine of every ten takedown attempts he has faced, a number built over a decade of elite collegiate-style wrestling that carried him through a long welterweight title reign.

Rankings matter too. Du Plessis enters the card at No. 2 in the division, one significant win away from another title shot, while Usman sits at No. 9 after moving up in weight. Oddsmakers favor du Plessis heading into fight night, but the figure that should concern his camp most is not the betting line, it is the takedown chart. Even a fighter past his physical peak still poses a real threat when his takedown defense sits near 90 percent.

It's Not Just the Main Event, the Undercard Runs Deep With Grapplers

A few fights down the card, the lineup is stacked with fighters whose whole approach runs through the mats. Tabatha Ricci, a jiu jitsu black belt who began training as a teenager, faces surging strawweight contender Fatima Kline in a bout that could turn into a clinic on top position and pace control. Ricci earned her black belt years before ever stepping into the Octagon, and that ground game has helped push her into the division's top ten.

Lightweight Chase Hooper, who trains out of a well-known Gracie Barra affiliate, is looking to snap a two-fight skid against Mitch Ramirez, and his path back almost certainly runs through the same guillotine choke he leans on more than any other finish. Elsewhere, Jared Cannonier and Christian Leroy Duncan give the card its one true standup showcase, a useful reminder that not every bout on this show will be settled on the ground.

What the Wrestling Test Means for Anyone Training Nearby

Fights like this are a good reminder that jiu jitsu is not only about hunting submissions, it is also about never ending up where du Plessis found himself earlier this year. What separates a career wrestler like Usman from most strikers is not flash, it is hip positioning, hand fighting, and the patience to control a body for entire rounds without needing a finish. Those fundamentals get covered in a beginner no-gi class long before anyone drills their first armbar.

If watching a veteran wrestler shut down takedown after takedown makes you curious about how that defense is actually built, the fastest way to understand it is from the bottom position on a real mat rather than from a couch. Las Vegas has plenty of gyms running beginner-friendly BJJ and no-gi sessions, and one trial class is usually enough to feel how much of high-level grappling comes down to positioning before it ever comes down to strength. Fight night is as good an excuse as any to walk into a local Vegas academy and see what that kind of control actually feels like from underneath it.

7 Grappling Storylines to Watch on the Du Plessis-Usman Card

Beyond the headline fight, the July 18 card in Oklahoma City is loaded with matchups that could turn on wrestling and jiu jitsu fundamentals rather than raw power. Here is what to track.

1. Du Plessis's takedown-defense reboot: The former champion says he built a grappling-focused camp specifically to answer the questions raised by his loss to Chimaev.
2. Usman's clock-control wrestling: Past his physical peak or not, Usman's takedown defense remains elite, and five rounds of positional control alone could be enough to win.
3. Tabatha Ricci's black belt test: Ricci's jiu jitsu background gives her a path to control Fatima Kline on the mat even if the standup stays competitive.
4. Chase Hooper hunting a guillotine: Hooper's bid to snap a two-fight skid leans on the same choke he has used to finish opponents throughout his career.
5. Cannonier-Duncan as the striking palate cleanser: With both men more comfortable on the feet, this is the one main-card bout least likely to be decided by a takedown.
6. What a Du Plessis win buys him: A clean takedown-defense showing would go a long way toward setting up another shot at the title he lost earlier this year.
7. What a Usman win means at 185: A statement win over a top contender would revive talk of Usman chasing a belt in a second weight class.

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