Ali Akbar Rosady
Following a unanimous decision loss to Dricus du Plessis at the UFC Oklahoma City main event, former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman has initiated a period of profound introspection regarding his professional fighting career. The defeat, which marked his fourth professional loss and his first at middleweight, has prompted Usman to question the fundamental viability of continuing his storied journey in mixed martial arts.
The bout against Du Plessis, held on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, saw Usman endure a comprehensive five-round defeat, with all three judges scoring the contest 50-45 in favor of his South African opponent. This lopsided outcome stands in stark contrast to Usman’s previous career losses, which he asserts were characterized by competitive exchanges and a strong representation of his fighting prowess. The 39-year-old veteran now faces the unprecedented challenge of reconciling an uncharacteristic performance with a career built on dominance and resilience.
In the immediate aftermath of the fight, Usman’s focus has shifted from tactical considerations, such as a potential return to the welterweight division or a continued campaign at middleweight, to a more fundamental assessment of his commitment to the sport. Speaking on his Pound-for-Pound podcast, Usman articulated the gravity of the decision ahead. "Right now, I just have to sit with the coaches, sit with the team, assess everything," Usman stated. "Assess the place where I’m at in my career. Just all in all, see whether it’s worth continuing to do this. Whether it’s worth continuing to put them through that." This statement underscores the deeply personal nature of his deliberation, extending beyond his individual ambition to encompass the dedication and emotional investment of his support system.
Usman’s professional record, currently standing at 20 wins and 4 losses, includes a remarkable reign as the UFC Welterweight Champion from 2019 to 2022. During this period, he successfully defended his title five times, cementing his status as one of the most dominant champions in the division’s history. His victories included decisive wins over elite contenders such as Colby Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal, Gilbert Burns, and Tyron Woodley. This era of his career was defined by an almost impenetrable wrestling base, relentless pressure, and continuously evolving striking, earning him the moniker "The Nigerian Nightmare."
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His previous three losses, prior to the Du Plessis encounter, carried distinct narratives that Usman views differently from his recent performance. The first of these came against Leon Edwards at UFC 278 in August 2022, where Usman was moments away from securing another title defense. He was widely ahead on the scorecards before succumbing to a stunning head kick in the final minute of the fifth round. Despite the devastating finish, Usman maintains that he was "cruising to a decision victory" and had "represented himself well" until that singular, unforeseen moment. A subsequent rematch with Edwards at UFC 286 in March 2023 saw Usman push the champion to a competitive five-round decision, which he ultimately lost. Reflecting on that third encounter, Usman conceded, "The third one, I probably shouldn’t have been in there but I pushed it, I said you know what I’m hard-headed, I’m going to go in [and fight] and halfway through that fight I found myself again."
His other recent loss occurred against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in October 2023. This fight marked Usman’s first foray into the middleweight division and was taken on extremely short notice, reportedly with less than two weeks’ preparation. Despite the challenging circumstances, Usman delivered a gritty performance, pushing Chimaev for three rounds before losing a majority decision. Of that fight, he commented, "The Khamzat [Chimaev] fight, it’s like I took that on a week’s notice and if I had two more rounds, it’s iffy, who knows what could have happened." These previous defeats, while painful, offered "something to build off of," as Usman describes, providing clear areas for adjustment or mitigating circumstances that preserved his self-perception as an elite competitor.
The Du Plessis loss, however, presents a different challenge to Usman’s self-assessment. While he internally believes he was not entirely overwhelmed, the visual narrative of the fight, particularly for external observers, suggests otherwise. "Every loss is a tough pill to swallow, but Usman was proud he never looked overwhelmed or out of his league against any past opponent," the report notes. "While he doesn’t feel like du Plessis just beat him up for five rounds, he understands that’s the visual so many people saw this past Saturday night." This discrepancy between his internal experience and the external perception is a significant factor in his current deliberation.
"Listen, I’ve never really gone out there and not represented them appropriately, myself and my coaches," Usman said. "This one was a hard one because I felt like I didn’t do that. … This one to the untrained eye, looks like I bit off more than I could chew. Just a fair and honest assessment. Even though I may not feel that on the inside, it looked that way and I don’t like that." The acknowledgment of this external perception, particularly the implication that he might have overreached, appears to be a source of considerable discomfort for a fighter who has consistently held himself to the highest standards of performance and professionalism.
The decision facing Usman is multifaceted, encompassing his physical well-being, his legacy, and the emotional toll of professional combat at an advanced age for the sport. At 39, the recovery cycles become longer, the training camps more arduous, and the margins for error against younger, hungrier opponents become narrower. His contemplation is not merely about wins and losses but about preserving the integrity of a career widely regarded as Hall of Fame-worthy. If he chooses to retire, Usman would undoubtedly be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, remembered as one of the greatest welterweights in the history of mixed martial arts, a dominant force who redefined the championship standard.
Usman has not established a specific timeline for his decision, emphasizing the need for thorough consultation with his coaches, team, and, significantly, his family. The emotional weight of this period is evident in his reflections. "I’ve got to really go back, sit with the team, sit with family and assess and decide," Usman reiterated. "This is just as difficult of a place to be, when we’ve achieved so much and you’ve got so much highs in the sport, when you start to feel the lows it’s not that great."
He concluded, highlighting the profound nature of the choice ahead: "Because you hold yourself to a certain standard. So when you start to feel those things, it just puts you in a really difficult and really tough place to make a tough and potentially permanent decision." The path forward for Kamaru Usman remains uncertain, but the magnitude of his deliberation underscores the high standards he has always upheld throughout his distinguished career. The mixed martial arts world now awaits his resolution, which will undoubtedly carry significant implications for his legacy and the landscape of the sport.
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