By Luke Mullaney
In arguably the best performance of Dricus du Plessis’ career, he dominated former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman this past weekend at UFC Oklahoma.
DDP earned a unanimous decision victory, with the judges scoring the contest 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 all in his favour.
The South African outlanded Usman 136-92 in significant strikes and controlled the majority of the fight.
It was a technical masterclass as DDP executed his game plan perfectly, while Usman remained patient and composed but far too inactive.
The most complete fight
From the opening round, DDP kept Usman at range, picking him apart with kicks to both the body and head.
He also mixed straight punches and overhands into combinations that prevented Usman from building any momentum.
Interestingly, DDP fought the majority of the contest from a southpaw stance, creating further problems for Usman and making it much more difficult for him to secure takedowns.
Usman began the fight aggressively, applying constant forward pressure while looking to counter most of DDP’s attacks.
The problem, however, was that despite remaining patient and composed, he rarely threw combinations.
The majority of Usman’s offence consisted of level changes and body jabs, with the occasional right hand, overhand or hook, most of which failed to find the target.
Usman appeared hesitant to let his hands go, relying heavily on counterattacks that proved largely ineffective.
But the biggest factor in the fight was DDP’s ability to fight from the southpaw stance.
He controlled the range, making it almost impossible for Usman to close the distance and land takedowns.
The stance also allowed DDP to fire rear knees up the middle whenever Usman shot in, repeatedly shutting down the former champion’s wrestling.
It was arguably DDP’s most effective weapon throughout the fight.
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DDP a new fighter
DDP is known for his awkward fighting style.
Jokes frequently circulate online about him fighting “like a cartoon character” or looking unorthodox inside the cage.
This past weekend at UFC Oklahoma, however, that narrative changed.
Instead of recklessly chasing a finish and giving away points, DDP remained composed and in control throughout the contest.
Whenever Usman pressured forward, DDP stayed calm and continued throwing the same shots that had brought him success.
His offence centred around knees up the middle whenever Usman changed levels, frequent kicks to the body and head from range and comfortable counter-striking off the back foot when required.
DDP looked far more like a point fighter than the reckless finisher he has often been known as.
Instead of thriving off chaos, he controlled every aspect of the fight.
Technical superiority over adjustments
In the later rounds, Usman did begin making adjustments.
He increased both his pressure and output, relying mainly on body jabs, calf kicks and frequent level changes.
Usman found more success with his jab and even briefly wrestled DDP in the third round, although DDP quickly returned to his feet.
For the majority of the contest, however, DDP had an answer for everything.
He defended Usman’s takedown attempts, consistently caught him on the way in and repeatedly threatened with head kicks, the cleanest of which landed in the fourth round.
That kick badly wobbled Usman, and as DDP followed up, he came close to forcing a stoppage.
However, he remained composed and resisted the temptation to become reckless after hurting his opponent.
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Usman could’ve beaten Dricus
Usman stole the fifth round on one of the judges’ scorecards and arguably should have been awarded the round by all three.
In the closing minutes, Usman became far more aggressive.
He pressured constantly, threw punches in combinations rather than single shots and forced DDP into much heavier exchanges.
That pressure backed DDP onto the fence, allowing Usman to attack both the body and head.
It was the most success he enjoyed throughout the fight, with DDP looking noticeably less comfortable than he had earlier.
It all came too late, however, as DDP had already built a commanding lead and was unlikely to lose unless Usman secured a finish.
Usman’s late success showed that there was a blueprint to beating DDP.
By cutting off the cage, entering behind combinations rather than waiting to counter and initiating the offence, he was able to close the distance far more effectively.
Fighting at closer range reduced the threat of DDP’s kicks and knees while creating more opportunities to chain together his wrestling and disrupt DDP’s striking rhythm.
Usman also missed opportunities after his feints.
Time and again he would throw one or two feints before following with either a single punch or no punch at all.
While the feints initially disrupted DDP’s timing, they became less effective as the fight progressed because nothing followed them.
Had Usman been willing to accept more risk, pressure forward behind combinations and consistently fight at close range, he may have been able to neutralise the head kicks that repeatedly caught him.
The biggest factor in the fight was the range at which it was contested.
DDP controlled the distance and picked Usman apart from the outside.
With so much space between them, created largely by DDP’s kicking game, Usman’s wrestling threat was effectively neutralised.
Had Usman kept the fight at closer range, followed up behind his feints and committed to combinations earlier, he would have given himself a far better chance of winning.
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UFC’s most improved fighter
DDP has always possessed the power, strength and physical attributes needed to thrive in chaotic fights.
Against an all-time great in Usman, he proved he can now thrive without the chaos, controlling a fight through technical discipline instead.
DDP dictated the range, introduced new tools to neutralise Usman’s wrestling and remained composed throughout, even when opportunities to chase a finish presented themselves.
This version of Dricus du Plessis may be considerably harder to beat than the one fans have grown accustomed to watching.
Watch out, because he has a real shot at reclaiming the middleweight title.
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