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Du Plessis Defeats Usman but Stays at No. 3 in ESPN Middleweight Rankings
Dricus Du Plessis beat Kamaru Usman by decision in the UFC main event Saturday. ESPN rankings as of July 21, 2026 show no movement for Du Plessis at middleweight and a new entrant at strawweight.
Jul 21, 10:22 AM·1m read1 source
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Dricus Du Plessis defeated Kamaru Usman by decision in the UFC main event on Saturday night. ESPN reported that Du Plessis remains ranked No. 3 at middleweight as of July 21, 2026. The ranking position did not change because Khamzat Chimaev defeated Du Plessis in August 2025 to win the UFC middleweight title.
Sean Strickland later defeated Chimaev to claim the belt and sits above Du Plessis. In the strawweight division, Fatima Kline defeated Tabatha Ricci by decision. Ricci, ranked No. 9 before the bout, fell out of the top 10.
Kline takes the ninth spot at 115 pounds, marking her first appearance in the ESPN strawweight rankings. Kline's victory was her fourth consecutive win since she lost her UFC debut to Jasmine Jasudavicius in 2024. She accepted that fight on short notice and competed at flyweight, where Jasudavicius is ranked in the top 10.
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