At age 39, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has seen all of the Internet memes and the constant speculation from fans that he's still operating as a fighter on anything but working knees.
As much as Usman (21-4) said he tries to avoid social media altogether, he admits he still takes a peek once in a while and uses the resulting crass comments and people writing him off as more fuel to the fire that keeps him going.
It's because of the criticism that Usman, a native of Nigeria, still believes that he's trying to prove himself. And it remains a major motivational tool entering Saturday's return from a 13-month layoff when he headlines UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City in a five-round middleweight bout against former champion Dricus du Plessis (23-3).
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"It's weird to say but absolutely. I think so. I guess [the need to prove yourself] is a never-ending thing," Usman told CBS Sports on Tuesday. "I don't want to say it's a bad thing to always feel underappreciated but I think it's just a little extra chip on your shoulder that you need to go out there to perform. So, yes, I would say that I still have that chip on my shoulder.
"It has been a running joke about knees. I have had even worse injuries than that. It is what it is. Let them keep joking. I just have to go in there and prove them wrong every time."
Usman, a future Hall of Famer and former pound-for-pound king, won his first 15 fights following his 2015 UFC debut (one shy of the promotional record for consecutive wins) and racked up five welterweight title defenses between 2019 and 2021. But an upset loss to Leon Edwards via fifth-round knockout in their 2022 rematch kicked off a three-fight losing skid that had many suggesting the best days of "The Nigerian Nightmare" were far behind him.
The third fight on that streak -- a 2023 majority decision loss to future champion Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi -- may have quietly been the moment Usman regained a large chunk of his momentum. Usman accepted the fight on short notice and appeared to simply run out of time in the three-round bout where he neutralized the wrestling attack of Chimaev and was the fresher fighter late.
Following a 20-month layoff, Usman returned to welterweight in June 2025 where he scored a redemptive five-round victory over rising contender Joaquin Buckley. Suddenly, Usman was back in the driver's seat as a legitimate threat in two divisions and after weighing his options over the next year, he made the strategic decision to embark on a run at 185 pounds.
"As a welterweight, when you have to cut the weight and really diet to go through that process of getting down, you build a way to sustain that energy and how to be efficient in the fight," Usman said. "I think when I went in there in that middleweight bout with Khamzat Chimaev, I was still kind of trying to operate on that type of efficiency. Next thing you know, it's two and a half rounds in and it feels like Round 1 to me. I should've taken five [rounds]. I should've really given myself the time.
"I think it's just having that extra reserve of not having to deplete yourself so much. It was great for me and I'm interested to see how that plays a factor here when I'm going against a big, strong, heavy guy that fights hard all of the 25 minutes."
Usman admitted his recent inactivity, with just two fights over the last 33 months, wasn't necessarily of his own doing. But at his age and his stature within the company as a former champion, he knew that being strategic in his decision making was important.
That brings us to Saturday, where it's not inconceivable to imagine that the winner could be in line for a middleweight title shot. Not only did Sean Strickland's title upset of Chimaev in May reset the pecking order atop the division, the fact that both Usman (2017 at welterweight) and du Plessis (2024 and 2025 in middleweight title bouts) hold victories over Strickland has to be taken into account.
"We would like to think that but I'm not going to completely disregard the division and say that," Usman said. "A guy like Nassourdine Imavov has done a lot of work and has been impressive. Is he likely in a place to get a shot at that belt? I would think so. It's hard for me to just say yes but, listen, if they are going to offer it to me, I'm not going to say no. That's for sure."
Du Plessis, a 32-year-old native of South Africa, returns to the Octagon for the first time since his one-sided title loss to Chimaev last August at UFC 319. DDP was taken down 12 times, absorbed 529 strikes on the ground and was on his back for 22 of the 25 minutes.
Given the fact that Usman, a former NCAA Division II national champion at the University of Nebraska Kearney, built his reputation as a fighter upon the foundation of wrestling, one would assume he is licking his lips about this style matchup. But Usman, a 2-to-1 underdog, doesn't believe it's that cut and dry.
"To the untrained eye, it would make a lot of sense," Usman said. "But every fight is different and that's the biggest thing with experience. Styles make fights. The way that he felt in there with Khamzat Chimaev may not be the way that he feels with me and I've learned that over time. I just have to go in there and make him feel what makes me special, whether it's the grappling, wrestling or striking. It's my duty to go in there and make him feel why I'm different than anyone he has ever faced."
While Usman believes he has the advantages, whether it be on the feet or on the ground, from a technical standpoint against du Plessis, he said it's the fighting spirit and strong will of his opponent that has him the most cautious entering the bout.
Even though Usman's history as a fighter has largely been written already, it's his drive to become a two-division champion and further cement his place among the all-time greats that keeps him active despite closing in on age 40.
"Listen, I'd be lying to you if I told you it didn't mean a lot to me," Usman said. "There are certain sports that you get into just for the glory of it like wrestling. If you are willing to suffer and go through all of that, you are doing it for the glory of it because you want your name remembered among the greats. That's kind of how it has been with this sport. I have been in a lot of clubs, records and glorified places but there is still one club that I'm not part of.
"I like that double champ club. I like that. There's not a lot of people in that club and I would like to join that."
