Big weekend for the fight game. Two former champions collided in Oklahoma City, the PFL crowned an interim king in Austin, we finally got the full story on Conor McGregor's latest knee disaster, and the UFC's booking machine churned out new main events from Abu Dhabi to Belgrade. Here's everything that mattered from the last few days.
Du Plessis Steamrolls Usman in Oklahoma City
The Octagon returned to Oklahoma City for the first time in nine years on Saturday night, and Dricus du Plessis made sure the locals got their money's worth. The former middleweight champion battered Kamaru Usman over five one-sided rounds at Paycom Center, taking a unanimous decision with scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46. Du Plessis rocked Usman multiple times and never let the former welterweight king settle into the fight, out-landing him with pressure and volume from the opening bell.
The bout took Fight of the Night honors, but the bigger question now hangs over Usman: after coming up short at 185 pounds, he admitted he isn't sure which division his next fight will be in. For du Plessis, it's a statement win that puts him right back in the middleweight title conversation.
OKC Undercard: McMillen's Star-Making KO, Hooper Saves His Job
The undercard delivered too. Tommy McMillen banked a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus for a third-round TKO of Alberto Montes, the kind of finish that puts a prospect on the map overnight. Felipe Franco claimed the other performance bonus on a night full of finishes.
Chase Hooper, meanwhile, fought like a man who knew his job was on the line. Coming off two straight losses, the grappling ace sliced through Mitch Ramirez with a first-round rear-naked choke for his ninth UFC win — though a missed weigh-in meant he was ineligible for bonus money. A win's a win, and Hooper lives to fight another day.
McGregor's Injury Revealed: ACL Surgery and Trilogy Talk
We now know why Conor McGregor's long-awaited comeback against Max Holloway on July 12 ended almost as soon as it began. Per UFC President Dana White, McGregor suffered ACL and meniscus damage — the same injury that has haunted him before, only this time in the opposite leg. The Irishman collapsed repeatedly in the opening seconds before the fight was waved off, handing Holloway the win in his first Octagon appearance in five years.
McGregor is headed for knee surgery, but he's already talking about running it back. The series with Holloway sits at one apiece — McGregor won their first meeting back in August 2013, and Holloway needed just 69 seconds to even the score. Whether a trilogy bout ever materializes is another question entirely.
Eblen Flattens Kasanganay for PFL Interim Gold
Johnny Eblen settled his score with Impa Kasanganay at PFL Austin on Friday night, knocking him out with a vicious knee-elbow-punches combination at 2:39 of the third round to claim the PFL interim middleweight world title. The win moves Eblen to 18-1 and avenges one of the few blemishes on his record.
With undisputed champion Costello van Steenis watching cageside, Eblen wasted no time making his intentions clear: he wants a unification bout, and the face-off afterward suggests the PFL wants it too.
Ankalaev Gets a New Dance Partner for Abu Dhabi
Next weekend's UFC Abu Dhabi card has a new main event. Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew from his light heavyweight headliner against former champion Magomed Ankalaev due to injury, and Bogdan Guskov has stepped in on short notice. Guskov, who was originally booked one week later on a different card, now gets the biggest opportunity of his career at Etihad Arena on July 25.
Ankalaev remains one of the most feared operators at 205, while Guskov has been finishing his way up the ladder — a live underdog with nothing to lose is exactly the kind of matchup that produces chaos.
Booking Blitz: Blachowicz–Stirling, MVP–Ruziboev and More
The matchmakers were busy this week. Former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz will welcome unbeaten prospect Navajo Stirling at UFC Belgrade on August 1 — a classic legend-versus-rising-threat setup. Michael 'Venom' Page draws Nursulton Ruziboev at middleweight as the headline addition to a stacked UFC Paris card on September 5.
Elsewhere, Kai Asakura takes a bantamweight assignment against Aoriqileng in front of a partisan crowd at UFC Shanghai on August 29, and Kelvin Gastelum meets Dutch striker Yousri Belgaroui at Noche UFC on September 12.
That's the cycle. With Ankalaev–Guskov landing this Saturday in Abu Dhabi, the news won't stay quiet for long — check back for the next roundup.
References
ESPN — Du Plessis dominates Usman on points in one-sided UFC main event
MMA Mania — Official UFC Oklahoma bonus winners
Sports Illustrated — Dana White reveals Conor McGregor's UFC injury
MMA Mania — PFL Austin results: Eblen KO's Kasanganay, wins interim title
UFC.com — New UFC Abu Dhabi main event: Ankalaev vs Guskov
Fightomic — Newly booked UFC fights: week ending 19 July 2026