While this past Saturday's monster event in Las Vegas ended in disaster, it was still a quality night for us, breaking out the brooms for a 3-0 sweep in our preliminary card best bets article. I'm looking to stay hot in the octagon, as the UFC packs its bags and heads over to the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The headliner features some big-name brawlers, with Dricus Du Plessis taking on Kamaru Usman. Below, I'll dive into that bout, and two others, from a sports betting angle. Here are my top UFC Fight Night picks for Du Plessis vs. Usman.
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UFC Fight Night Picks: Du Plessis vs. Usman Bets (Oklahoma City)
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Dricus Du Plessis (-218) vs. Kamaru Usman (+180)
Following a three-fight slide, (#9) Kamaru Usman got back in the win column by defeating Joaquin Buckley (U-DEC) last time out. The former Welterweight champion is a +180 underdog to register a victory on Saturday. Meanwhile, (#2) Dricus Du Plessis is looking to get back in the mix for a title shot at 185 lbs. He's a -218 favorite in the Oklahoma City main event this weekend.
I agree that Dricus Du Plessis should be a favorite here, but a -218 price tag is just flat out disrespectful to Kamaru Usman. I think it's time to buy back on Usman and make a value play on the 39-year-old.
I believe this fight sets up nicely for Usman to pull off the upset. For starters, the "Nigerian Nightmare" is easily the more technical, refined striker in this contest. With the way Du Plessis is consistently pushing forward in his fights, Usman should have no issue sticking him with the jab all night.
Additionally, Du Plessis has abysmal takedown defense. His takedown defense is just 34% in the UFC, and he's coming off of a loss to Khamzat Chimaev where he conceded 12 takedowns and 21:40 worth of ground control time. If needed, Usman, who's averaging 2.79 takedowns per 15 minutes, should be able to lean on his wrestling to keep this fight competitive. Usman's live on Saturday night, let's take an underdog flier on him.
Bet: Kamaru Usman Moneyline (+180)
Jared Cannonier (+310) vs. Christian Leroy Duncan (-395)
The co-main event features a top-15 clash in the Middleweight division, with (#10) Jared Cannonier squaring off against (#12) Christian Leroy Duncan. A sizable -395 moneyline favorite, Duncan looks to notch his fifth straight victory. The always-dangerous Cannonier comes back at +310 to get his hand raised.
Christian Leroy Duncan should earn the win on Saturday, so the subsequent question then becomes will he win by knockout or by decision. Being that this is a brief three-round fight, I'm going to give Jared Cannonier some respect and say that he'll survive the full 15 minutes. Cannonier is 18-9 in his MMA career, suffering six decision losses and three knockout defeats. He has only been knocked out once in his last five defeats.
Meanwhile, this will be one of the tougher fights that "CLD" has had in his career. He did just knock off Roman Dolidze (U-DEC) in March, but his fights are only going to get tougher as he attempts to crack the top 10 of the Middleweight division. He has 10 knockouts across his 14-2 career, but the point I'm getting at is that he hasn't knocked out anyone noteworthy just yet. With all of that being said, I'll gladly take the plus-money payout that comes with CLD to win by points.
Bet: Christian Leroy Duncan To Win By Decision (+120)
Tommy McMillen (-166) vs. Alberto Montes (+140)
For an unranked fight, this Featherweight matchup between Tommy McMillen and Alberto Montes is getting quite a bit of attention. These guys have been very vocal throughout the week, setting the stage for what should be an excellent battle in OKC on Saturday.
I do like Tommy McMillen a lot. My bank account likes him even more, considering I rode with him at +140 in a Betting Pros article in September 2025 when he edged David Mgoyan in his Dana White Contender Series bout. However, a -166 vig is just a bit too high of a price, in my opinion. I'm locking in Alberto Montes to win this fight.
McMillen is a madman in the octagon, which you can deduce simply by looking at his statistics. He's dishing out 9.87 significant strikes per minute, but absorbing an inflated 5.54 strikes per minute. That could be problematic against a mature fighter like Montes, who's 12-1 in his career and delivering 5.26 significant strikes per minute.
Additionally, Montes boasts an extensive grappling background as well. He has seven submission victories in his career, including winning his last four fights by sub. Ultimately, I view this fight much closer to the pick 'em range. There's value here with Montes, so let's back him at +140.
Bet: Alberto Montes Moneyline (+140)
