OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - JULY 18: Kamaru Usman of Nigeria reacts after a decision loss against Dricus Du Plessis in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Paycom Center on July 18, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Kamaru Usman is 39 years old, frequently injured, sports two bad knees, and lost four of his last five. That might sound like retirement criteria to most people, but the former UFC welterweight champion is not going anywhere just yet. That’s according to longtime manager Ali Abdelaziz, who insists “The Nigerian Nightmare” is still a force to be reckoned with — in the right weight class. “Kamaru Usman is not going to retire,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “He’s fighting the best guys in the he world. He fought (Joaquin) Buckley and beat him. Before that he fought Khamzat (Chimaev) on 10 days’ notice. 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 (21-5) has only been stopped once in his UFC career, a 2022 knockout loss to Leon Edwards. “If he decides to stay, I think he needs to go back to welterweight, and there’s a lot of great matchups for him at welterweight,” Abdelaziz said. “He was the right opponent for Islam [Makhachev]. He was Islam’s toughest fight. He proved it because he handled a guy that is 20 pounds heavier than him on fight day. Not taking anything away from Du Plessis, he’s a great fighter, and he won fair and square. Kamaru was always there in the fight. He came on hard late in the fight.” Abdelaziz previously tried (and failed) to land this marquee matchup. Usman is coming off a unanimous decision loss to former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC Oklahoma just last month, a bout that had “The Nigerian Nightmare” at a considerable size disadvantage. A return to welterweight would likely make the most sense at this stage of the game. Assuming “the team” agrees.