Kamaru Usman Contemplating Retirement

Kamaru Usman (21-5) says he is weighing whether to continue fighting following a defeat to Dricus du Plessis (24-3) in the UFC Oklahoma City main event, with the 39-year-old former welterweight champion acknowledging that he did not represent himself the way he had in previous losses.

Usman has suffered defeats before, including against Leon Edwards and in a short-notice outing against Khamzat Chimaev, but maintained that each of those performances gave him something to build on. The Du Plessis fight was different.

“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 like I didn’t do that. The Khamzat 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. The Leon rematch, I think I represented myself well until that last minute took that kick to the head. This one to the untrained eye, looks like I bit off more than I could chew. Even though I may not feel that on the inside, it looked that way and I don’t like that,” Usman

The question of whether to remain at middleweight or return to welterweight is not the immediate priority. Usman said the conversation he needs to have is more fundamental than deciding which division he wants to compete in. He was candid about the weight of what lies ahead.

“Right now, I just have to sit with the coaches, sit with the team, assess everything. 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,” Usman

If Usman retires, he will leave the sport as one of the greatest welterweights in UFC history and a likely future UFC Hall of Famer.