Usman Weighs Future After du Plessis Loss

Kamaru Usman is not ready to announce retirement, but the former UFC welterweight champion says the question is now part of an honest review following his loss to Dricus du Plessis in the UFC Oklahoma City main event. Rather than immediately choosing between a continued run at middleweight and a return to welterweight, Usman said he needs to assess where he stands in his career with the people closest to his fighting life. The issue, in his words, is whether continuing is worth it for both himself and the team that prepares him.

Speaking on his Pound-for-Pound podcast, Usman said he must sit with his coaches and team, assess everything and evaluate his place in the sport. He also framed the decision in personal terms, saying he has to determine whether it is worth continuing to put his team through the demands of another campaign. That makes this more than a simple weight-class discussion. The immediate news is that Usman has placed any next booking behind a broader career conversation, with retirement among the possible outcomes he intends to consider.

A decision is pending, not announced

Usman did not give a timetable for reaching a conclusion. He said he has to go back, speak with his team and family, then assess and decide. The options identified in his comments are clear: book another fight or walk away from the sport. What remains unconfirmed is which option he will choose. That distinction matters after a defeat that Usman described as difficult because of how it looked. He said that, to an untrained eye, the du Plessis fight could appear as though he had taken on more than he could handle. Usman added that he may not feel that way internally, but he did not like that visual assessment. His comments center on the standard he expects from himself, rather than on a declared plan to compete again at either 185 pounds or welterweight.

The du Plessis loss has prompted Usman to revisit the way he measures defeats. He said he had generally felt he represented himself and his coaches properly in previous losses, even when the result was painful. In discussing the Leon Edwards rematch, Usman said he believed he had represented himself well until a head kick in the final minute. He also cited the Khamzat Chimaev fight, which he said he accepted on a week’s notice, and said there was something to build from in those performances. By contrast, he called this latest moment hard because he felt he did not meet his own expectations. That self-assessment explains why the next decision is being treated as potentially permanent instead of as a routine response to one result.

Usman compares this loss with earlier setbacks

Usman’s remarks do not erase the competitive context of the UFC Oklahoma City main event, but they clarify why the aftermath has become a career-level question. He said he did not feel that du Plessis simply beat him up for five rounds, while acknowledging that many viewers could have seen the fight that way. The gap between his internal view and the public visual is central to his frustration. He also said the difficulty of this moment comes after experiencing major highs in the sport. According to Usman, holding himself to a certain standard makes the lows especially hard to process. He is therefore not presenting retirement as a completed decision or making a promise about another bout. He is describing a period of evaluation in which conversations with coaches, teammates and family will come before a final answer. For readers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: no next opponent, division choice or retirement date was announced. Usman has instead confirmed the order of events he wants to follow—review the performance, consult his support circle and decide whether another fight is appropriate.

• Usman said he will assess his career position with his coaches and team before deciding what comes next.
• He also said he plans to speak with family as he weighs another fight against leaving the sport.

Usman’s post-fight message is one of reflection, not finality. The loss to du Plessis has led him to question whether he can continue meeting the standard he sets for himself and those around him. Until he completes those discussions, retirement remains a possibility rather than a decision, and another UFC booking remains possible rather than confirmed.