Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman issued his first social media remarks since losing to Dricus du Plessis.
Kamaru Usman's return to the UFC middleweight division fell short last Saturday at UFC Oklahoma City. In his highly-anticipated comeback fight, Usman lost to former UFC middleweight titleholder Dricus du Plessis by unanimous decision in an instant classic battle.
Despite suffering from the jaws of defeat for the first time in a few years, Usman seemed in good spirits, as he made a rare appearance at the post-fight press conference. Fighters who lose in the Octagon rarely show up for post-fight media availabilities.
Usman's place in UFC history remains cemented following UFC Oklahoma City. While the former welterweight champion hasn't committed to a potential return to 170 lbs, he seemed to confirm that he has no plans of hanging up the gloves anytime soon.
Kamaru Usman issues social media statement after UFC Oklahoma City
In a recent Instagram post, Usman seemingly hinted at postponing his retirement plans following UFC Oklahoma City.
“Gratitude is the attitude. Grateful for another opportunity to ride this roller coaster,†Usman said.
“Thankful for my team, family, friends, and fans. Back to the drawing board we go. Big thank you to my team!â€
Before losing to Du Plessis, Usman defeated welterweight knockout artist Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta last year. The win snapped a three-fight skid, including back-to-back title fight losses to Leon Edwards.
Usman was presumed to fight UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev next after Makhachev's win at UFC 322 last year. But the UFC matchmakers opted to pick Ian Machado Garry for the next welterweight title shot.
As for Du Plessis, he could be next in line for another UFC middleweight title shot against two-time rival Sean Strickland. Strickland could also potentially fight Khamzat Chimaev in an immediate rematch of their UFC 328 clash.
Should Kamaru Usman return to the welterweight division after UFC OKC? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
MMA Fighting has a live stream watch party for Saturday's UFC 331 event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. In the main event, Joshua Van defends his flyweight title in a rematch against the man he won the championship from, Alexandre Pantoja in a heated rematch.
Join MMA Fighting's Mike Heck and Jed Meshew as they watch the main card and more for the promotion's upcoming numbered event in the City of Angels.
In the co-main event, top lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan faces knockout artist Mauricio Ruffy in a high-stakes, five-round contest.
Additionally, former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull takes on Doo Ho Choi in the featherweight featured contest, while Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson battles Sean Sharaf in a heavyweight bout.
The UFC 331 main card opens with a light heavyweight tilt between Alonzo Menifield and Iwo Baraniewski.
Watch MMA Fighting's UFC 330 live stream Watch Party beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT with the featured preliminary fight between Marlon Vera and Charles Jourdain.
LOS ANGELES — UFC middleweight contender Edmen Shahbazyan joins MMA Fighting's Jose Youngs on #AnythingButFighting to talk about his favorite movies, music, foods, concerts, and more.
Ciryl Gane is NOT the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
On Monday, Tom Aspinall vacated his UFC heavyweight title after reinjuring his eyes in training, forcing him out of action indefinitely. As such, many expected that interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane — the man who caused Aspinall's original eye injuries when he poked him during their heavyweight title fight at UFC 321 — would be elevated to undisputed champion and then defend his belt; but not so fast.
“Does it make him the undisputed champion?†White asked when questioned about Gane. “No. He's still got to fight.â€
White added that he expects Gane's next fight, the bout for the title of undisputed champion, will be announced “very soon.â€
Ostensibly, Aspinall could face the winner of whatever that potential bout is, should he be ready to return to action by then. But White has no timeline on when that might be.
“I don't [know],†White said when asked how long Aspinall's will be out for. “Obviously, whenever he feels healthy again, whenever his eyes are healed, then we're ready for him.â€
Gane won the interim heavyweight title with a TKO win over Alex Pereira at UFC White House this summer. It was expected that Gane and Aspinall would unify their titles in a rematch this year, before Aspinall's setback ended those plans.
As for the rest of the heavyweight division, Aspinall's latest update seems to have left the UFC scrambling, with White not having a clear path forward, but saying the UFC will figure it out.
“We'll see how this whole thing plays out with Aspinall,†White said. “Ciryl will fight, and we'll see who becomes the champion. This isn't like this is the first time this has ever happened, and it's happening right now with Valentina Shevchenko, too. This is nothing new. This happens sometimes, and it's unfortunate. Not the best outcome, but it is what it is.â€