Kamaru Usman was compromised early against Dricus du Plessis after a punch to the eye: ‘That kind of blurred the vision a bit’

Kamaru Usman fell to Dricus du Plessis by unanimous decision in the UFC Oklahoma City main event on Saturday, but the former welterweight champion blamed an early eye injury for hampering his performance across all five rounds. In the second round, Usman took a punch to the eye that severely blurred his vision for the remainder of the fight, forcing him to operate at a significant disadvantage against the larger, longer-range striker. "I was pretty compromised," Usman said at the post-fight press conference. "When you start seeing two of the big boys, and he's got kind of a weird, rangy shots, it's a little delayed to get out of the way of those shots." Despite the vision impairment, Usman managed to win the fifth round on two judges' scorecards—a small consolation in an otherwise lopsided affair where du Plessis repeatedly landed clean strikes. Usman also hinted that he entered the bout dealing with undisclosed physical issues beyond the eye punch, suggesting his performance was compromised in ways the public would never fully understand. He declined to specify what those issues were, noting that fighters routinely overcome adversities that go unreported when they win. The loss significantly impacts Usman's title prospects at both 170 and 185 pounds, placing him outside the immediate championship picture. Moving forward, Usman indicated he remains open to opportunities at either weight class, citing his history of accepting short-notice bouts and emphasizing that even former middleweight champion Michael Bisping took unconventional paths to title shots.