Usman's Manager Rejects Retirement Talk After UFC Loss

Kamaru Usman will not retire from the UFC despite losing four of his last five fights, according to his longtime manager Ali Abdelaziz.

Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie the former welterweight champion remains competitive at the highest level and should drop back down to 170 pounds after testing himself against larger middleweights. Usman, 39, most recently lost a unanimous decision to former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC Oklahoma last month, where he fought at a significant size disadvantage.

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Manager Pushes Welterweight Return for Usman

"Kamaru Usman is not going to retire," Abdelaziz said, per MMA Junkie. "He's fighting the best guys in the world. He's not losing — nobody is whipping Kamaru's ass. He's always in the fight. I was always against going to middleweight, because I think he's too small for middleweight."

Usman holds a 21-5 record and has been stopped just once in his UFC career, a knockout loss to Leon Edwards in 2022. His recent middleweight run included short-notice bouts against top contenders, including a fight with Khamzat Chimaev on 10 days' notice.

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Abdelaziz added that Usman needs to return to welterweight, where several compelling matchups remain. The former champion previously attempted to secure a fight with lightweight king Islam Makhachev, a bout his manager believes would have been competitive despite the weight difference.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Kamaru Usman ‘not going to retire’ from UFC because ‘he’s not losing’ — ‘He needs to go back to welterweight’