Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is contemplating retirement following his latest loss at UFC OKC.
Though he won Fight of the Night, Usman lost a unanimous decision to Dricus du Plessis with scorecards of 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46 in du Plessis’ favor.
The loss was Usman’s fourth defeat in his last five fights, and at age 39, he is now at the crossroads of his MMA career. That’s why, even though he was somewhat competitive with du Plessis defeat despite, Usman is considering retirement.
Kamaru Usman Considering Retirement
Speaking on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast alongside co-host Henry Cejudo, Usman said that he is thinking about hanging up his gloves following his latest loss to du Plessis.
“Listen, I’m just, right now, I have to just sit with the coaches, sit with the team, assess kind of everything and just assess the place where I’m at in my career. And just, all in all, just see if it’s worth continuing to do this. Whether it’s worth continuing to put them through that. And listen, I’ve never really gone out there and not represented them appropriately,” Usman said.
Following the loss to du Plessis, UFC president Dana White was asked what he thinks Usman should do, and he said that any retirement decision would ultimately be up to “The Nigerian Nightmare.”
“Yeah, I don’t know. Obviously, a great fight. Fighting a much bigger guy, and he’s got a great chin. He’s still got it. It’s not like, ‘Oh, Usman’s done and he should retire.’ He had a great fight tonight. So yeah, I don’t know. He’s going to go home, rest, heal up, and figure out what’s next,” White said to reporters.
Kamaru Usman at Career Crossroads
Nearly 40 years of age and having lost four of his last five fights, Usman is truly at the crossroads of his legendary mixed martial arts career.
At one point in time, Usman was a perfect 15-0 in the UFC and was one win away from tying Anderson Silva’s record of 16 straight wins inside the Octagon. Usman was one minute away from tying the record against Leon Edwards in 2022, but suffered a brutal head kick loss in one of the most shocking comebacks in UFC history.
After that initial loss to Edwards and losing the UFC welterweight title in the process, Usman lost a majority decision in their rematch before losing another majority decision to Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout that he took on short notice.
After spending 20 months away on the sidelines, Usman returned last June at UFC Atlanta when he defeated Joaquin Buckley via unanimous decision in a dominant return to form at welterweight. Following that win, Usman again took a year off, only this time he decided to make the move up to middleweight and take on du Plessis in another middleweight bout.
But while Usman did go the full five rounds against du Plessis, he suffered his fourth loss in his last five fights, and now he’s unsure about what the future holds for him.
Kamaru Usman Contemplating Retirement Following UFC OKC