Kamaru Usman weighs retirement following Dricus Du Plessis defeat

Kamaru Usman is seriously considering retirement after suffering a one-sided loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC Oklahoma City. The former welterweight champion, now 39, has begun a period of reflection in consultation with his coaching staff to determine whether continuing his career remains worthwhile.

Usman explained on the "Pound 4 Pound" podcast that this defeat feels categorically different from his previous losses. While he found ways to build from earlier defeats—his knockout loss to Leon Edwards, a short-notice setback against Khamzat Chimaev, and the Edwards trilogy—the Du Plessis loss left him without positive momentum. "This one was a hard one because I felt like I didn't do that," Usman said. "There was something to build off of for those fights. This one, to the untrained eye, looks like I bit off more than I could chew."

The Nigerian-American acknowledged the psychological toll of contemplating the end after achieving so much at the sport's highest level. "When you've achieved so much and you've got so many highs in the sport, when you start to feel the lows, it's not that great," he reflected. "It puts you in a really difficult and really tough place to make a tough and potentially permanent decision." Usman intends to consult his team before announcing his decision on his UFC future.