Kamaru Usman has heard the retirement calls. He isn’t listening.
The former welterweight champion dropped a unanimous decision to Dricus du Plessis in the UFC Oklahoma City main event, losing the first four rounds on all three scorecards as the bigger man hurt him repeatedly. Both men earned post-fight bonuses. At 39 and now on the wrong end of five career defeats, Usman drew a fresh wave of calls to walk away, including from Din Thomas on Deep Waters.
Usman answered in his first social media post since the loss, and there was no hint of a goodbye.
Gratitude is the attitude. Grateful for another opportunity to ride this roller coaster. Thankful for my team, family, friends and fans. Back to the drawing board we go.
Dana White backed him up at the post-fight press conference, rejecting the idea that Usman needs to hang them up and praising him for taking on a naturally larger opponent. Du Plessis was equally complimentary, highlighting Usman’s toughness and his willingness to take the fight at all.
The options are still there. Usman sits just outside the middleweight top ten and remains a top-ten welterweight, and he’s said repeatedly that he’ll fight wherever the opportunity is. The most obvious one may be back at 170 pounds, where a long-simmering grudge with Belal Muhammad is still waiting to be settled.
