Colby Covington Accuses Kamaru Usman of Dodging Title Rematch
Looks like we haven’t seen the last of the Colby Covington vs. Kamaru Usman rivalry after Covington accused the welterweight champion of robbing him of a title rematch from their first fight at UFC 245.
Covington has been sidelined from UFC action since his win over former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley at UFC Vegas 11 last September. He is expected to be Usman’s next opponent after UFC president Dana White endorsed the rematch following the champion’s knockout win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261.
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Covington gave some insight on the fight negotiations with Usman and accused the champion of avoiding an octagon sequel with him.
“Marty’s out there, the CEO of EPO, he doesn’t want to fight,” Covington said in an interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn. “He wants to fight lightweights. He probably wants a trilogy with Masvidal. So, it’s a complete joke. I’m going to fight for a world title my next fight, whether it’s going to be Marty, where it’s going to be – we don’t know where, we don’t know who yet, but we will fight for the world title next.”
“He needs to come to see me. This is a fight the fans want to see and if he doesn’t want to fight me and he’s going to run off into the sunset because he’s scared I’m going to take his health, then that’s OK. But I’m still fighting for the world title my next fight, so we’re going to prepare as if we’re fighting for the world title next.”
Covington went on to say that Usman and his team don’t want a rematch due to his inactivity since his fight with Woodley. Covington was reportedly close to fighting Masvidal earlier this year, but negotiations on a fight between the two never materialized.
Usman earned the belt by dominating Woodley en route to a unanimous decision win at UFC 235. He would go on to face Covington in his first title defense, earning the TKO victory in Round 5 in one of the greatest title fights in recent memory.
It’s not exactly a secret that fans of both fighters and the sport, in general, want to see these two bitter rivals square off again in the UFC octagon. While it’s unclear as to why negotiations have stalled, the Covington rematch seems like the most likely next title defense for Usman.
Do you think the Colby Covington vs. Kamaru Usman rematch will happen later this year?
