UFC Oklahoma City presented Kamaru Usman with a golden opportunity to revive his championship ambitions at middleweight. Instead, the former welterweight king suffered one of the toughest losses of his career, dropping a lopsided unanimous decision to Dricus Du Plessis (49-46, 49-46, 50-45).
Employing the awkward yet remarkably effective style that has made him such a difficult puzzle for opponents, Du Plessis combined explosive power with unpredictable movement to keep Usman off balance throughout the contest. The South African controlled the distance with a sharp jab and punishing calf kicks before repeatedly landing his signature question-mark kick, rocking the former champion on multiple occasions.
The defeat dropped Usman to 1-4 in his last five fights and has now forced the 39-year-old to seriously consider whether his fighting career should continue. Speaking on a recent episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman admitted that retirement is now a real possibility.
View this post on Instagram
ALSO READ: Justin Gaethje Rejects Ilia Topuria Rematch, Backs Arman Tsarukyan for Next UFC Title Shot
He said, “Right now, I have to sit with the coaches and the team and assess kind of everything and the place where I’m at in my career and, all in all, see if it’s worth continuing to do this, whether it’s worth continuing to put them through that.”
Usman explained that what bothered him most was not simply losing, but feeling that he failed to perform up to the standards he has set for himself throughout his legendary career. “Listen, I’ve never really gone out there and not represented them appropriately myself and my coaches. This one was a hard one because I felt I didn’t do that.”
The former welterweight champion then reflected on some of his previous defeats, arguing that there were legitimate reasons to remain optimistic after those setbacks. He pointed to his short-notice middleweight bout against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, believing the circumstances played a significant role, and also referenced his second fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 278, where he was winning before being caught by the now-iconic head kick.
However, Usman admitted that his loss to Du Plessis felt fundamentally different. “The Khamzat (Chimaev) fight was like, ‘OK, I took that on a week’s notice, and if I would’ve had two more rounds, who knows what else could’ve happened.’ The Leon (Edwards), I think I represented myself well until I got the last minute take that kick to the head, and in the third Leon fight, I probably shouldn’t have been there, but I pushed it.”
He continued, “I was like, ‘You know what? I’m hardheaded, and I’m going to go in.’ Halfway through that fight, I found myself again, so there was something to build off in those fights. This one was like, to the untrained eye, it looked like I bit off more than I could chew or something like that. It’s just a fair, honest assessment, even though I don’t feel that inside, it looked that way, and I don’t like that.”
Usman did not reveal when he plans to make a final decision about his future, but acknowledged that difficult conversations with his coaches and family lie ahead.
He said, “I’ve got to really go back, sit with the team, sit with family and assess and decide. 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.”
🚨😯 Kamaru Usman says he is contemplating RETIREMENT after his loss to Dricus Du Plessis
“Listen, right now I just have to sit with the coaches, sit with the team, assess everything, assess where I’m at in my career
All in all, just see whether it’s worth continuing to do… pic.twitter.com/t8LbhKGfyF
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) July 23, 2026
He concluded by explaining why the decision carries so much emotional weight. “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 defeat to Du Plessis marked arguably the first time Usman was comprehensively outclassed inside the Octagon. As already stated, his previous four losses came in highly competitive contests.
Prior to losing the welterweight title, Usman was widely regarded as the UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighter, riding a 19-fight winning streak with five successful title defenses. If he ultimately decides to retire, he will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
