UFC Fight Night 281: Kamaru Usman full post-fight interview

UFC Fight Night 281 headliner Kamaru Usman talks to reporters post-fight after his unanimous decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis in Oklahoma City.

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Just want your overall opinions on the fight.

I know obviously, you were not happy with hearing the 50/45 scorecard, but just wanted to get your overall thoughts on how the, how the fight went.

Yeah.

It's, you know, it's tough.

It's, it's, it's hard to be on this side of it, and I'm not used to being on this side.

So it's a tough one.

But yeah, I hate to even bring up hearing that score or dealing with the score because that's one thing that I kind of pattern myself, is I, I never care about the score because I'm dominating.

And unfortunately, you know, now I'm on the end tonight I was on the end of, you know, hearing the score and yeah, I didn't like it, but it is what it is.

I just couldn't get, necessarily get going.

He was big, strong, he's rangy, you know, so it was kinda, it was a little tough to get going.

I took kind of like a, a, a thumb punch in the eye early on and that kind of blurred the vision a bit.

But, you know, no excuses.

It is what it is.

I was actually about to ask that 'cause it was that, one of those weird, it's kind of a punch- Yeah but it also looks like the thumb went in the eye at the same time.

How compromised did that make you in- It, it was pretty comp Like I said, he's a big boy, and you sh- you know, when you start seeing two of the big boys, and he's got kinda, like I said, it's a weird rangy shots, so it's kinda a little delayed to get out of the way of those shots d- you know, seeing them.

But, you know, no excuses.

It's tough to be on this side.

I'm not used to being on this side.

So yeah, kinda sucks.

Did his game plan at all surprise you?

You know, typically he's a, a, let's say unorthodox, like with a lot of his blitzing and everything, and tonight he seemed a little bit more reserved and not trying to run forward as much, maybe because of the wrestling.

Did that surprise you at all?

No, I don't think it, it's I don't wanna say it surprised me.

I think it's just me, my ability to do what I want kinda surprised me because, like I said, each and every fight we're dealing with something, but you guys never hear of it once, especially with me, 'cause I come out here and I'm, you know, most of the time I'm victorious, so you never really hear about what you're dealing with coming in.

But you know, when you're dealing with something and it kinda hinders you and your ability to go out and do exactly what you wanna do or fight the way that you, you know you can fight, you know, it kinda sucks a bit.

But yeah, I think, you know, he was smart enough to understand that if you came forward, I'm the type of guy that will put you on your butt.

So I think he, he was kinda, you know, doing a good job of not running forward with the blitz.

And then, you know, I think you're probably getting a little bit of flack online about, you know, your recent stretch, but the reality is your two fights at middleweight were against Chimaev and DDP, two former champions.

Obviously both were close, or l- at least the Chimaev fight was close, and then you had moments tonight.

You said you wanted to go where the opportunity exists.

Do you feel better at 185 or are you happy to go back down to 170?

Like I said, it doesn't matter.

I can make both.

It's not, it's not a Yeah, 170 is a cut, but it's, at the end of the day, I'm not the biggest welterweight.

So you know, it is what it is.

You deal with it.

Whether if there's opportunities there, I'm gonna go there.

If the opportunity's up here, I'm gonna stay here.

So there's really no It doesn't matter, you know.

It just, it sucks that I wasn't victorious tonight because we're having a complete conversation, different conversation had I went out and been able to execute the way that I wanted.

So I guess this is my time of not being able to execute like I've done to most guys.

And obviously you have to heal up a little bit, but- Yeah you know, the thing over the past couple years is you've only been able to get one or two fights a year.

You know, at 39, how active are you wanting to be?

Obviously you're not hanging it up, but over the next year or so, how active do you wanna be in there?

I would like to be active but, like I said, it's, it's not one of those I'm not one of these guys that's just gonna stick around here just for a fight, like I can't do anything else.

I can, you know.

I've got a family at home, and you know, I got, I, I, every time I come in here, I represent not just myself, I represent my coaches, I represent my team, I represent my training partners and my family, so I wanna do that in the best way possible.

So I'm not one of these guys that's just gonna stick around just to come in here and, and, and fight and take lumps, you know.

So it just, if the opportunity is there and it presents itself, I would love to get in here regularly but, you know, gotta heal up some things and, and really do some work with the coaches.

Thanks, Kamaru.

Thank you.

Kamaru, let's look around the division at welterweight as well as middleweight.

Are there any names that really come to mind as far as lining up your next opponent?

Obviously, this was a number one contender's fight.

You hope to have another in your future.

Yeah, I mean, it's, that's a tough one to say because, all of my focus was on this one, and unfortunately I'm having to sit here and have a conversation with you guys when, you know, this is unfamiliar territory for me.

But, I don't know.

I just go back and just kinda relax and I'll talk with my team, management, coaches, and, we'll see where there's next opportunities are.

Listen, opportunities always come up.

Like taking on Khamzat Chimaev on eight, seven, eight days or whatever notice that was, opportunity came up.

Masvidal on six days notice, opportunity came up.

And there's been a couple of little ones that didn't necessarily materialize that I've kind of almost jumped in line for, so opportunities always come up.

And look, Michael Bisping was middleweight champion of the world.

Let's not forget that.

Opportunity came up, he jumped on it, and he was the middleweight champion, so yeah.

Kamaru, you're, you're known as a 25-minute fighter, a five-round fighter.

You could say you have some of the best cardio in UFC history.

But going into your next fight, do you think it's gonna be a point of emphasis to be a little bit more aggressive early on?

Absolutely.

I've always kind of been a slow starter.

I hate to even say that.

So I try to get in the first round or two in the back.

I try to really get it out, and unfortunately I couldn't do that tonight.

And, well, I tried, but I went in there, like I said, you take that kind of weird thumb punch in the eye and it kind of just, you know, just wasn't my night.

Yeah, in the fourth or fifth round you looked pretty fresh still.

I mean, maybe even more than DDP towards the end.

What was your mindset towards the end?

Was it really to finish him?

Yeah, of course I wanted to finish.

Like I said, I was just a little off with the timing.

It was an off night.

You know?

My timing was off, my shots were off.

I kind of got a little loopy in there.

And I know, and it sucks because, you know, the coaches put a lot of time in, my striking coaches Henry and Trevor, and, and making sure that I'm able to, to effectively do what I want to do.

So unfortunately I didn't represent that tonight, so Islam Makhachev, obviously you're rumored to fight him at some point.

Let's say he loses potentially next month.

Is that still a fight you're potentially looking- I don't know.

I don't think Islam I, I mean, I hope he doesn't lose but, you know, that's not really something I'm thinking about right now.

Right now I just kind of wanna, you know, heal up.

Like, I hate to even say it, heal up.

But heal up and, and we'll see what's next.

There was already some talk about Dricus' game plan against you.

It seemed like he went to that high kick a lot, and he, he commended you for your defense of it, and it looked like maybe it was frustrating you a little bit, that it, he kept, he kept coming.

Is that the truth or just the way it goes?

I just No, I knew he was gonna be kicking, and that's fine.

I just didn't execute.

I, I knew kind of everything he was gonna be doing.

Nothing really surprised me.

I think it was just me overcoming whatever I was dealing with going in and trying to execute like I've done so many other times, and tonight I just couldn't do that.

You said no excuses, but you, you keep saying whatever you're dealing with.

Were you dealing with something coming into the fight?

Oh, I'm dealing with something every time.

Most fighters are dealing with something all the time, and we overcome it and we most of my career, deal with something, you overcome it, you go out there and you get the dub, and you guys never hear of it.

Just like you won't hear of this one.

I'll go one more.

Just kind of give a little bit more thought on Justin Gaethje being here in attendance tonight and supporting you, here in OKC, and your thoughts on he now being the champion at lightweight, and is there a fight that you would like to see Justin take next?

Well, I mean, unfort- unfortunately I still have to look down when I talk to Justin because, you know, he's a world champion now so I can't make eye contact with him.

And unfortunately I was, you know, not victorious tonight, so I have to live that more, you know.

But, no, Justin right now is, I mean, in I call him Captain America.

I mean, I think everyone else in here would agree that he is Captain America right now.

I would've loved to have seen that last week materialize and, and see what 'Cause I think right there him and Conor, that, that, that sells itself, you know?

So, you know, for, for now I just think it has to make sense for him.

It has to make sense.

Justin is in a position to where, you know, what really If it doesn't make sense, then what's the point of doing it?

He's done everything there is to do in the sport right now, so, you know, I call him the most decorated for a reason.

And damn it, I can't look him in the eye still.

That's it.

All right.

Thank you, guys.

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