Kamaru Usman fought Dricus du Plessis at UFC Oklahoma City with a torn pec, according to his Pound 4 Pound podcast co-host Henry Cejudo. The former welterweight champion dropped a lopsided decision to du Plessis on July 18 at Paycom Center, struggling to close distance and implement his wrestling across five rounds despite a late rally.
Cejudo disclosed the injury on the podcast this week, per MMA Mania, and criticized Usman for accepting the bout. “A lot of people don’t know this, but you fought with a torn pec,” Cejudo said. “I didn’t like this from the beginning. How can you get to those positions when you don’t have a pec? I got your back on this one, Kamaru.”
Usman refuses to lean on injury excuse
Usman pushed back against using the torn pec as justification for the loss. “I understand that, Henry, but it is what it is,” he said on the podcast. “We roll the dice every time, so there are no excuses. We roll the dice, and sometimes it works out, and no one ever finds out. But this time, it didn’t work out.”
The injury helps explain why Usman’s wrestling — considered his clearest path to victory — failed to materialize against du Plessis. The South African stuffed his takedown attempts and hurt him on the feet, handing Usman his fourth loss in five fights.
Now 39 years old, Usman told reporters after the fight he would reassess his future with his team. He expanded on that uncertainty during the podcast. “Listen, right now I just have to sit with the coaches, sit with the team, assess everything, assess the place where I’m at in my career,” he said. “Just see whether it’s worth continuing to do this, whether it’s worth continuing to put them through that because I’ve never really gone out there and not represented them appropriately.”
Usman has not confirmed a timeline for deciding whether to continue his UFC career or retire.
Reported via:
- MMA Mania — Excuse-free Kamaru Usman reveals he fought Dricus du Plessis with torn pec, questions retirement – ‘I have to sit with the team’
