Usman considers weight drop after loss in middleweight fight

Kamaru Usman has disagreed with the judges’ scores from his unanimous decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis. He also said that moving back down to welterweight is an option after losing twice in middleweight, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Usman (21-5) faced fellow former Ultimate Fighting Championship title holder Du Plessis (24-3) in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City. The South African landed more significant strikes from the start and largely stopped Usman’s wrestling.

Even though the Nigerian-American fought hard in the last rounds, it was not enough to avoid a clear defeat.

Judges David Sutherland and Mike Bell scored the fight 49-46 for Du Plessis, while judge Sal D’Amato scored it 50-45. Usman said he could not understand that score after what happened in the octagon.

“I am no sorry loser, but I mean, 50-45? What were the judges watching? He is a big boy, and I knew he was going to be tough,” Usman said in his post-fight chat with Daniel Cormier.

The 29-year-old, who started his career after being a top wrestler, mentioned that a hit to his left eye in the second round made it hard for him to judge distance for takedowns.

Although Du Plessis’ fist was closed when they made contact, his thumb seemed to touch Usman’s eye. The fight paused briefly before officials decided the strike was legal, and they let the fight continue.

Usman had come to Oklahoma City after a unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley at welterweight. That victory ended a three-fight losing streak.

In the same post-fight interview, he confirmed that he hasn’t ruled out going back to the 170-pound division after his second loss in middleweight.

UFC boss Dana White didn’t want to guess Usman’s future when asked at the post-fight press conference. He pointed out that Usman fought well against a much bigger opponent and still showed he has a strong chin. He added that the former welterweight champion needs to go home, recover, and think about his next steps.