Usman blames early punch to the eye for weak performance against Du Plessis

Kamaru Usman has revealed that an eye injury suffered early in his fight against Dricus du Plessis left him seeing double and affected him for much of the five-round contest in Oklahoma City.

The former UFC welterweight champion suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Du Plessis in the main event, with the South African producing a solid display to strengthen his position in the middleweight division. 

After the fight, Usman explained that his vision was compromised almost from the start.

The judges scored the fight 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 in favour of Du Plessis. Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Usman said a shot that landed early in the bout caught him awkwardly and immediately caused problems.

“I took kind of a thumb-punch in the eye early on, and that kind of blurred the vision a bit,” Usman said. “When you start seeing two of the big boys, and he’s got kind of weird, rangy shots, it’s a little delayed to get out of the way of those shots.”

The admission offered some explanation for a difficult night against Du Plessis, who spent much of the fight dictating the action. 

Fighting at range, the former middleweight champion repeatedly found success with straight punches, kicks and long combinations that kept Usman from settling into a consistent rhythm.

Usman attempted to wrestle throughout the contest, but Du Plessis largely dealt with those efforts and prevented the former welterweight ruler from establishing prolonged control. 

As the rounds passed, the South African continued to pile up scoring shots while forcing Usman to react rather than initiate shots.

Despite the setback, Usman continued to compete until the final horn and showed signs of life late in the fight. 

The fifth round proved to be his strongest stretch, with two judges awarding him the frame after he managed to close the distance more effectively and land some of his best work of the night.