T.J. Dillashaw has provided a candid assessment of Kamaru Usman's recent middleweight defeat to Dricus du Plessis at UFC Oklahoma City, suggesting the former welterweight champion appeared slower than his usual formidable self.
Usman faced du Plessis in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City last weekend. Despite expectations that the former welterweight king would perform strongly, du Plessis controlled the five-round contest, ultimately securing a unanimous decision victory.
Speaking on an episode of the JAXXON Podcast, Dillashaw shared his observations, stating, "I hate to see it, but Usman looked slow. His reaction times weren't there. He's a champion. He's been there. He's been through it all, so you want to see him perform. But he just looked a lot slower."
Dillashaw also commented on du Plessis's performance, noting, "DDP's timing looked great. He looked very powerful. He definitely made some gains." He elaborated on the fight's dynamics, explaining, "The problem was Usman wasn't setting his shots up, he wasn't throwing punches before he shot, and so DDP was able to time him with that knee… I think DDP looked great; he looked powerful, looked fast. Unfortunately, Usman was a little bit slow, didn't set his shots up. I don't think he has that same animal that he used to have."
In the same podcast discussion, Dillashaw also weighed in on the possibility of Kamaru Usman retiring. He advised the former welterweight champion to consider returning to the 170-pound division.
"I don't think he's going to push for the title," Dillashaw said. "He needs to go back down to '70, and he needs to put himself in the gym to where he's going to have these young, hungry killers coming after him. He's training with Wittman and Wittman's great. He's up there hitting mitts and doing some things to make himself feel good. I think you need to put yourself in deep waters, go into a gym where there's a lot of guys that are going to put it on you, and see if you've still got it."
