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Kamaru Usman on UFC OKC loss: What were the judges watching?

Published

2 months ago

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Kamaru Usman on UFC OKC loss: 'What were the judges watching?'
Kamaru
Usman is disappointed with one of the judges' scorecards in his
loss to Dricus Du
Plessis.

Usman (21-5) faced fellow former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champion du Plessis (24-3) in a
middleweight tilt in the main event of
UFC Oklahoma City. The latter landed more significant strikes
from the onset, with barely any wrestling success for Usman. While
the former welterweight king found a second wind in the later
rounds, it was too little too late, and du Plessis earned a
lopsided unanimous decision victory.

Usman explains why he disagrees with Sal D’Amato’s scorecard
against Dricus Du Plessis

While he accepts the result, “The Nigerian Nightmare” is bewildered
by one of the scorecards. Judges David Sutherland and Mike Bell
scored the fight 49-46 in favor of du Plessis, while judge Sal
D'Amato had it 50-45 for the former middleweight champ.

Usman finished strong in the final round and had a strong showing
in the third frame as well. He can't comprehend what D'Amato was
watching and also revealed that his left eye was compromised in the
second round, which made it difficult for him to assess the
distance to shoot for takedowns. While du Plessis' fist was closed
in the punch that compromised Usman's vision, the South African's
thumb appeared to graze the eye. However, the fight was resumed
after a brief pause as the shot was deemed legal.

“I'm no sorry loser, but I mean, 50-45? What were the judges
watching? He's a big boy, and I knew he was going to be tough.â€
Usman said in his post-fight interview with Daniel
Cormier. “I said it all week. He is a tough dude. Early on, I
think it was a punch or a thumb, or kind of one of those weird
punches where you get the thumb in the eye. So, it was tough for me
to kind of gauge the distance and really commit to getting in on
getting the legs. But he is a tough dude… Hats off to him.â€

Usman was coming off a unanimous decision win over Joaquin
Buckley at welterweight that saw him rebound from a three-fight
slump. In the same post-fight interview, he revealed that dropping
back down to 170 pounds remains an option after he picked up his
second defeat at 185 pounds.


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MMA

Jon Jones’ reaction says it all after Gable Steveson’s 12-second KO loss

Published

3 hours ago

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September 20, 2026

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Jon Jones’ reaction says it all after Gable Steveson’s 12-second KO loss
Jon
Jones had a clear view of one of the biggest upsets in
Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

His protégé, Gable
Steveson, suffered the first loss of his professional mixed
martial arts career at UFC
331, with Sean Sharaf
recording a 12-second knockout at Crypto.com Arena in Los
Angeles.

Sean Sharaf hands Gable Steveson his first MMA loss in stunning
UFC 331 upset

Heavy betting favorite Steveson entered the matchup unbeaten at
4-0, while Sharaf was 0-2 in the UFC. The latter uncorked a left
hook early in the fight, putting the former to sleep. Steveson's
mentor, Jones, watched on and his reaction to the knockout is
circulating online.

The former two-division UFC champion seemingly said, “Oh, my God!â€
while looking at his fellow cornermen.

Steveson dismissed Sharaf as a threat in the lead-up to the fight,
relegating him to just a stepping stone towards his championship
aspirations. “The Smoke†even provoked the polarizing Olympian at
the pre-fight presser, bringing up past controversies that have
turned many against him.

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MMA

Pros react to Joshua Van defeating Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331: "Horrible judging"

Published

11 hours ago

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September 20, 2026

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Pros react to Joshua Van defeating Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331: "Horrible judging"
Trending:

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Tonight's UFC 331 event was headlined by a highly anticipated men's flyweight title fight rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja.

Van and Pantoja had originally collided back at UFC 323 in December of last year, where ‘The Fearless' walked away with the promotion's coveted men's flyweight title after ‘The Cannibal' suffered a nasty arm injury the rendered him unable to continue (see that here).

Joshua Van (17-2 MMA) had since successfully defended the 125lbs strap on one occasion, earning a fifth-round TKO victory over Japanese standout Tatsuro Taira. The 24-year-old had entered tonight's rematch sporting a seven-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Pantoja (30-6 MMA) was returning to the Octagon for the first time since suffering that aforementioned arm injury against Van at UFC 323. Prior to that setback, ‘The Cannibal' had strung together a seven-fight winning streak, an impressive stretch which included four successful title defenses over opponents Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France.

Tonight's UFC 331 main event proved to be an absolute thriller. Alexandre Pantoja came out guns blazing, but Joshua Van was able to weather the early onslaught and get his boxing going shortly thereafter. While Pantoja was able to get the fight to the floor in dominant positions on multiple occasions, he was never able to get off any really solid offense from those spots. The fight seemed to be razor close heading into the fifth and final round, but it was in those last five minutes that Van cemented his status as champion. He was able to drop the Brazilian with a right hand and pretty much controlled the entire fifth round.

Official UFC 331 Results: Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision (49–46, 49–47, 50–45)

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Van vs. Pantoja 2' below:

Post-fight reactions to Joshua Van defeating Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331:

Who would you like to see Van fight next following his decision victory over Pantoja this evening in Los Angeles? Share your thoughts in the comment section Penn Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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MMA

UFC 331: 'Van vs. Pantoja 2' Live Results and Highlights

Published

11 hours ago

on

September 20, 2026

By

UFC 331: 'Van vs. Pantoja 2' Live Results and Highlights
Trending:

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The Octagon returns to Los Angeles for tonight's UFC 331 event, a 12-bout fight card headlined by Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2.

Van and Pantoja originally collided at UFC 323 in December of last year, where ‘The Fearless' walked away with the promotion's coveted men's flyweight title after ‘The Cannibal' suffered a nasty arm injury the rendered him unable to continue (see that here).

Joshua Van (17-2 MMA) has since successfully defended the 125lbs strap, this after earning a fifth-round TKO victory over Japanese standout Tatsuro Taira. The 24-year-old will enter tonight's rematch sporting a seven-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Pantoja (30-6 MMA) will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since suffering the aforementioned arm injury against Van at UFC 323. Prior to that setback, ‘The Cannibal' was riding a seven-fight winning streak, a stretch which included four successful title defenses over the likes of Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France.

UFC 331 is co-headlined by a highly anticipated lightweight bout featuring Arman Tsarukyan taking on Maurício Ruffy.

(via Zuffa LLC)

Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA) will enter the contest on a five-fight winning streak, with his most recent Octagon victory coming against Dan Hooker via second-round submission in November of 2025. Prior to that triumph, ‘Batman' had earned a split decision win over current BMF title holder Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

Meanwhile, Maurício Ruffy (14-2 MMA) was most previously seen in action at June's UFC Freedom 250 event, where he scored an impressive first-round TKO win over former lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler. The hard-hitting Brazilian has gone 4-1 over his past five fights, with his lone setback in that time coming against Benoit Saint Denis by way of submission.

If that wasn't enough to get you interested, tonight's UFC 331 main card lineup also features a featherweight matchup between Patrício Pitbull and Doo Ho Choi.

Pitbull (37-9 MMA) will enter the bout looking to rebound, this after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Aaron Pico at April's UFC 327 event. Prior to that setback, the former Bellator champion was coming off a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige.

Meanwhile, Doo Ho Choi (17-4-1 MMA) currently boasts a three-fight winning streak, this after scoring TKO victories over Bill Algeo, Nate Landwehr and Daniel Santos. Prior to those impressive finishes, the Korean standout had fought Kyle Nelson to a majority draw.

Get all of tonight's live results and highlights below (refresh for updates):

UFC 331 Main Card (Paramount+, 9 p.m. ET)

Joshua Van (125) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (125) – Van def. Pantoja by unanimous decision (49–46, 49–47, 50–45)

Arman Tsarukyan (156) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (155) – Tsarukyan def. Ruffy via KO (elbow) at 4:57 of Round 1

Patricio Pitbull (145.5) vs. Doo Ho Choi (146) – Pitbull def. Choi via KO (punches) at 3:28 of Round 1

Gable Steveson (240) vs. Sean Sharaf (241) – Sharaf def. Steveson via KO (punch) at 0:12 of Round 1

Alonzo Menifield (205.5) vs. Iwo Baraniewski (206) – Menifield def. Baraniewski by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

UFC 331 Prelims (Paramount+, 7 p.m. ET)

Marlon Vera (136) vs. Charles Jourdain (135) – Vera def. Jourdain via TKO at 2:02 of Round 3

Tai Tuivasa (264.5) vs. Robelis Despaigne (263) – Despaigne def. Tuivasa by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Michael Aswell (146) vs. Joo Sang Yoo (145.5) – Aswell def. Yoo by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Ryan Gandra (186) vs. Ozzy Diaz (186) – Gandra def. Diaz via TKO (punches) at 2:04 of Round 1

UFC 331 Early Prelims (Paramount+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

Edmen Shahbazyan (185) vs. Brunno Ferreira (184.5) – Shahbazyan def. Ferreira by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)

Casey O'Neill (125) vs. Eduarda Moura (125.5) – O'Neil def. Moura via submission (armbar) at 3:22 of Round 1

Giga Chikadze (146) vs. Joanderson Brito (145.5) – Brito def. Chikadze via KO (punches) at 1:57 of Round 1

Who are you picking to win tonight's flyweight title fight rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja? Share your predictions in the comment section Penn Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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