The UFC Oklahoma City event began with an engaging preliminary card on Saturday evening, setting the stage for the upcoming five-fight main card. The preliminary bouts featured several notable performances, including unanimous decision victories and a TKO finish, with action broadcast live on Paramount+.
The event, held at the Paycom Center City in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, showcased a range of divisions and fighter debuts. The main card is scheduled to feature a middleweight bout between Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman, a pivotal contest for both fighters.
Preliminary Card Highlights
In one of the evening’s final preliminary fights, Jose Miguel Delgado secured a unanimous decision victory over Austin Bashi with scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28. Delgado, who registered his second win of the year, demonstrated a strong performance. He notably floored Bashi with a left hook in the first round after an early exchange where Bashi had dropped him. Delgado, representing MMA Lab, continued to control the fight in the subsequent rounds, improving his record to 4-1 inside the Octagon. The 28-year-old fighter is seen as a prospect with potential to reach the Top 15 in the future.
Another welterweight contest saw Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani defeat SeokHyeon Ko by unanimous decision, with all judges scoring the bout 29-28. This fight was described as an entertaining, back-and-forth battle over three rounds. Ko was more effective in the initial half, landing powerful shots and defending against Lebosnoyani’s submission attempts. However, Ko’s output decreased as the fight progressed, allowing Lebosnoyani to gain control. This victory extended Lebosnoyani’s winning streak to six, bringing his overall record to 11-2 and his Octagon record to 2-0. Both fighters are considered ascending welterweights.
Felipe Franco made a dominant return to the light heavyweight division, defeating Levi Rodrigues Jr. by TKO due to strikes at 1:40 of Round 2. This marked Franco’s first victory in the UFC. After an initial exchange in the first round, Franco found success with strikes, leading to a takedown and achieving mount. In the second round, a sharp right hand created another opportunity for Franco to take Rodrigues Jr. to the canvas, where he unleashed ground-and-pound to secure the finish. Franco had previously debuted on short notice at heavyweight in March, pushing prospect Mario Pinto to a decision. His performance in Oklahoma City highlighted his potential in the 205-pound weight class.
In their shared UFC debuts, Ezra Elliott defeated Damien Anderson by unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28. Elliott utilized his grappling and physicality throughout the three-round bout, controlling Anderson’s offense. Despite missing weight prior to the fight, Elliott, also from MMA Lab, managed to deliver his own offense in the second round and maintained control in the third, preventing Anderson from mounting a significant comeback. Elliott, now 8-0 in his career, took the fight on Tuesday morning and established a record for most takedowns in a featherweight fight within the UFC.
Alden Coria secured his third consecutive UFC victory by defeating Stewart Nicoll via unanimous decision, with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28. Coria, who was considered the biggest betting favorite on the card, demonstrated superior striking exchanges in the opening round and effectively managed scrambles against the Australian fighter.
Additional preliminary card results included RJ Harris defeating Alvin Hines by TKO due to punches at 1:40 of Round 1 in a heavyweight bout, and Dione Barbosa defeating Anna Melisano by submission via rear-naked choke at 4:04 of Round 1 in a women’s flyweight contest.
Main Card Preview and Early Results
The main card, which also airs on Paramount+, is headlined by the middleweight clash between Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman. Du Plessis, with a record of 22-6, is returning to the Octagon after losing his UFC middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev in August. This loss ended his nine-fight UFC win streak, which included championship victories over Sean Strickland (twice) and Israel Adesanya.
Usman, holding a record of 21-4, was once recognized as a top pound-for-pound fighter. He achieved a UFC record of 15 consecutive welterweight wins at the start of his Octagon career, including six title defenses between 2019 and 2021. Usman’s successful run was interrupted by a three-fight losing streak from 2022 to 2023, but the 39-year-old veteran rebounded with a welterweight victory over Joaquin Buckley in June 2025.
Other main card matchups include Jared Cannonier against Christian Leroy Duncan in a middleweight bout. Early main card results saw Chase Hooper defeat Mitch Ramirez via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:15 of Round 1 in a catchweight bout at 157.5 pounds. Additionally, Fatima Kline defeated Tabatha Ricci by unanimous decision (30-27 All) in a women’s strawweight fight, and Tommy McMillen defeated Alberto Montes via TKO (punches) at 3:29 of Round 3 in a featherweight contest.
The preliminary card began at 5 p.m. ET, while the main card commenced at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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Source: ufc.com
