Usman ponders weight drop after middleweight loss

Kamaru Usman has voiced his disagreement with the judges' decision in his unanimous loss to Dricus Du Plessis, questioning the scorecards while also indicating that a return to welterweight remains a possibility after his second successive defeat in the middleweight division. Usman, holding a record of 21-5, faced former UFC titleholder Du Plessis (24-3) in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City. Du Plessis landed more significant strikes from the outset and effectively neutralized Usman's wrestling attempts. Despite a late rally from Usman in the final rounds, it was insufficient to secure a victory, resulting in a lopsided defeat.

Judges David Sutherland and Mike Bell scored the bout 49-46 for Du Plessis, while Sal D’Amato recorded a 50-45 score. Usman expressed his bewilderment at the judges' assessment, stating, "I am no sorry loser, but I mean, 50-45? What were the judges watching? He is a big boy, and I knew he was going to be tough." He attributed some difficulty in gauging distance and committing to takedowns to a potential eye injury sustained early in the fight, possibly from a thumb strike.

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I am no sorry loser, but I mean, 50-45? What were the judges watching? He is a big boy, and I knew he was going to be tough.

Usman, who turned professional after a successful wrestling career, mentioned that his left eye was impacted by a blow in the second round, hindering his ability to judge distance for takedown attempts. Although Du Plessis' hand was closed, his thumb appeared to have grazed Usman's eye. The fight was briefly paused, but officials deemed the strike legal and allowed it to continue. Usman had entered the Oklahoma City event following a unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley at welterweight, which had ended a three-fight losing streak. In his post-fight interview, he confirmed that a return to the 170-pound division was not ruled out.

UFC CEO Dana White refrained from speculating on Usman's future during the post-fight press conference. He acknowledged that Usman performed well against a significantly larger opponent and demonstrated resilience, but emphasized that the former welterweight champion needs to return home, recover, and then make a decision regarding his next steps.

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Early on, I think it was a punch or a thumb, one of those weird punches where you get the thumb in the eye, so it was tough for me to gauge the distance and commit to getting in on the legs. But he is a tough dude. Hats off to him.