Kamaru Usman releases statement after loss to Khamzat Chimaev

On Monday, Oct. 23, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman took to Twitter to release his first statement since losing to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294.

"I dared 2 be great & fell short," Usman wrote on Twitter. "Sometimes this is the journey of life. I prey I never complain about the cards I’ve been dealt 4 I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams Alhamdulilah 4 everything. We go back 2 the drawing board &Insha Allah we’ll be back #UFC294 #GREATFUL"

Usman took the fight, up a weight class, and on just nine days' notice, something many other men of his rank would not have done. The fight was close, ending in a majority decision for Chimaev.

Fans came to support after Kamaru Usman loss 'You'll be back champ'

Many fans came to the comments to praise him for the performance writing, "You're still s champ & still winning in our eyes, Bro ! Nothing, do you." Another fan said, "Do not beat yourself up for that result. You went toe to toe with Khamzat on a 10-day notice and in a different weight class. Go get the WW belt first, get back and get that rematch against him! You’ll be back champ!"

Usman lost his welterweight title in August 2022 when he was knocked out by Leon Edwards at UFC 278. In the rematch he lost again, this time via a majority decision. He's now lost his last three in a row after going undefeated since 2013.

“You drop two razor-thin ones to Leon (Edwards) and it’s been a while,” Usman said on the ESPN+ post-fight show after the loss. “You go years without losing, for a long, long time, by all the hard work. Then, you drop two close ones like that. You start to kind of question things and start to doubt yourself a little bit. You almost forget what it feels like. If anything I can say I’d take away from tonight, it’s that I need to trust myself more, trust my coaches, and we’ll be back."