Diesel AK Blog

Fighter Profile: Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman: former UFC welterweight champion — record, wrestling legacy and current form.

Fighters13 July 2026

Background

Nigerian-American fighter, a former NCAA Division II national wrestling champion and a former UFC welterweight champion who made five successful title defences. His professional record is 21-5 and he is 39 years old.

Career timeline

Won The Ultimate Fighter 21 and then the UFC welterweight championship in March 2019, defending it five times including twice over Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington.
Lost the title to Leon Edwards in August 2022 and the rematch in March 2023.
Moved up to middleweight in the later stage of his career.
Lost to Dricus du Plessis by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City on 18 July 2026.
That defeat means he has lost four of his last five bouts.

Fight craft

At his peak Usman was the model of a modern wrestle-boxer: a jab that scored and set up the level change, and a top game built on control and cumulative damage rather than submissions. What has changed is the physical margin — against Du Plessis he could not get the fight to the mat and could not deter the incoming, so the same durability that once let him grind out championship rounds now mostly means he absorbs more. His defensive wrestling and toughness remain intact; the offensive threat that made them useful has faded.

In the modern MMA landscape

Our wider MMA analysis describes the Du Plessis bout as an upcoming title eliminator. It has been fought and Usman lost decisively. The wider point stands, though: the report’s theme of ageing stars retaining drawing power while losing competitive ground applies to Usman as directly as to anyone on the card.

Return to What the Modern MMA Game Demands.

Sources

Record and competitive status checked 1 August 2026.