Kamaru Usman Mulls Retirement After Lopsided Loss to Dricus du Plessis

On July 18, 2026 the former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman faced former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC Fight Night 281 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The bout went the full five rounds and was scored 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 in favor of du Plessis, giving Usman a unanimous-decision loss that dropped his record to 21-5 and marked his fourth loss in his last five fights.

The Nigerian Nightmare Stands Tall – Kamaru Usman’s Full-Distance Battle With Dricus du Plessis Kamaru Usman contemplating ‘whether it’s worth continuing to do this’ after lopsided loss to Dricus du Plessis Fighters Only : Kamaru Usman Considering Retirement After Dricus Du Plessis Loss ESPN

Usman, a Nigerian-American who held the UFC welterweight title from March 2019 to August 2022, defended that belt five times—a run that placed him among the division’s most dominant champions. He lost the title to Leon Edwards via knockout in 2022 and has since struggled to recapture his earlier form, compiling a 1-4 skid that includes defeats to Khamzat Chimaev, Edwards (twice) and du Plessis. The Oklahoma City fight was his first at middleweight, a weight class above his natural 170 lb welterweight limit.

The Nigerian Nightmare Stands Tall – Kamaru Usman’s Full-Distance Battle With Dricus du Plessis

• Scorecards: 50-45, 49-46, 49-46 (du Plessis)

The Nigerian Nightmare Stands Tall – Kamaru Usman’s Full-Distance Battle With Dricus du Plessis

• Significant strikes landed: 136 for du Plessis vs. 92 for Ususman (official fight stats)

The Nigerian Nightmare Stands Tall – Kamaru Usman’s Full-Distance Battle With Dricus du Plessis

• Takedown attempts: 0 for Usman, 0 for du Plessis

The Nigerian Nightmare Stands Tall – Kamaru Usman’s Full-Distance Battle With Dricus du Plessis

• Recent record: 1-4 in the last five UFC appearances; four losses in that span

ESPN

• Age: 39 years (born 1987)

ESPN

• “Right now, I just have to sit with the coaches, sit with the team, assess everything,” — Kamaru Usman, UFC welterweight champion

Kamaru Usman contemplating ‘whether it’s worth continuing to do this’ after lopsided loss to Dricus du Plessis

• “Listen, I’ve never really gone out there and not represented them appropriately, myself and my coaches,” — Kamaru Usman, UFC welterweight champion

Kamaru Usman contemplating ‘whether it’s worth continuing to do this’ after lopsided loss to Dricus du Plessis

• “A lot of people don’t know this, but you fought with a torn pec,” — Henry Cejudo, two-division UFC champion

Excuse-free Kamaru Usman reveals he fought Dricus du Plessis with torn pec, questions retirement - ‘I have to sit with the team’

• “I understand that, Henry, but it is what it is,” — Kamaru Usman, UFC welterweight champion

Excuse-free Kamaru Usman reveals he fought Dricus du Plessis with torn pec, questions retirement - ‘I have to sit with the team’

• “I hate to see it, but Usman looked slow,” — J. Dillashaw

USA Today

• “This one was a hard one because I felt like I didn't do that. [...] This one to the untrained eye, looks like I bit off more than I could chew. Just a fair and honest assessment. Even though I may not feel that on the inside, it looked that way and I don't like that.” — Kamaru Usman, UFC welterweight champion

Kamaru Usman Contemplates Future After July 18 Defeat in OKC