Kamaru Usman: Nigerian Fighter Slams Judges After Losing to Dricus Du Plessis in US

• Nigerian MMA fighter Kamaru Usman suffered a unanimous points defeat to Dricus du Plessis at UFC Fight Night Oklahoma City
• Du Plessis claimed victory on all three judges' scorecards, with one awarding him a perfect 50-45 decision across five rounds
• Usman spoke out after the loss, questioning the 50-45 scorecard and pointing to an early eye injury that affected his performance

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has questioned the judges' scoring after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City on Sunday, 19 July 2026.

Du Plessis, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, controlled the contest across all five rounds through a combination of physicality, powerful strikes and well-timed knees that repeatedly rocked Usman in the opening stages of the fight. Two judges scored the bout 49-46 in favour of the South African, while a third awarded him a perfect 50-45.

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The victory places Du Plessis firmly back in contention for a championship bout, having delivered a striking performance that neutralised Usman's celebrated grappling and footwork.

His superior power proved decisive, wobbling the Nigerian-American fighter on multiple occasions in the first two rounds with clubbing punches and knee strikes through the centre.

While two of the five rounds were considered competitive on scoring apps such as The Verdict Scorecard, Du Plessis ultimately took credit for each of them on the official judges' cards.

Usman cites eye injury and disputed scoring

Following the defeat, Usman acknowledged Du Plessis's quality but expressed his dissatisfaction with one of the three scorecards.

"I'm no sorry loser, but I mean, 50-45? I mean, what were the judges watching? It is what it is. He's a big boy, and I knew he was gonna be tough. I said it all week, he's a tough dude.

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"Early on, I think it was a punch, a kind of one of those weird punches where you get the thumb in the eye. So, it was kind of tough for me to gauge the distance and really commit to getting in on getting the legs. But he's a tough dude, hats off to him," Usman said after the bout."

The former champion suggested the inadvertent thumb to the eye early in the fight disrupted his ability to judge distance and execute his game plan, particularly his leg attack. Despite his frustration with the scoring, Usman conceded that Du Plessis deserved credit for the performance.

Source: Briefly News