Getty Colby Covington reacts to the crowd after winning against Dong Hyun Kim at the UFC Fight Night in Singapore on June 17, 2017.
Ahead of his rematch against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 on April 24, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman spoke with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. And during the interview, “The Nigerian Nightmare” spoke about his foe, No. 1 ranked Colby Covington.
Usman asserted that “Chaos” needs to get back inside the Octagon and earn another victory before challenging him for the welterweight strap again. The two fought at UFC 245 in December 2019 in what was one of the most exciting welterweight title showdowns in UFC history.
It was a back-and-forth battle and in the end, The Nigerian Nightmare finished Chaos in the fifth round via TKO. Since then, Usman has gone on to defend his belt two more times, defeating Masvidal by unanimous decision and Gilbert Burns by third-round TKO.
GettyColby Covington (L) takes a punch from UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in their welterweight title fight during UFC 245 at T-Mobile Arena on December 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Covington has fought once since Usman snapped his seven-fight win streak, beating former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley by fifth-round TKO in September.
“Show me some activity,” Usman said via ESPN. “Give me a reason. It’s not necessarily me. I know what I’m capable of doing. I’ve done it before. You can ask his jaw; I’ve done that before. Now, it’s for him to show the people that he deserves another chance to fight for the title. You can’t sit back and say, ‘Oh, I beat Tyron Woodley. That’s it. I deserve a shot at the title.’ No. That doesn’t give you a title shot.”
Hours after ESPN shared Usman’s interview on Tuesday, Covington took to Twitter to respond to the 170-pound champ. Chaos accused The Nigerian Nightmare of taking what he believes is an easier fight in Masvidal as opposed to the tougher fight, a rematch with him.
“Spoken like a true coward who doesn’t want to face the rightful #1 contender,” Covington wrote. “The rankings have chosen and so have the people Marty. Just say the truth: you know you can’t win and you’d rather fight bums like Street Judas for easy pay checks. @USMAN84kg.”
Kamaru Usman says Colby Covington needs to earn his welterweight title shot with activity.
(via @bokamotoESPN)
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Usman Will Fight Masvidal for the Second Time in Less Than a Year
UFC 261 will be headlined by the rematch between Usman and Masvidal. The two originally fought last July at UFC 251 on six days’ notice. It was mostly a lackluster affair, but Usman did enough to earn the unanimous decision win over “Gamebred.”
Now, the two will go at it with a training camp behind them and Usman intends to put a stamp on their bitter rivalry.
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It’s Unclear When Covington Will Fight Again
Covington appears to be content sitting back and waiting for the outcome between Usman and Masvidal. Chaos has had opportunities to fight, including against No. 3 ranked Leon Edwards, however Covington has elected to wait.
Now, every fighter in the top five not named Colby Covington has been linked to an opponent. Edwards is scheduled to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 262 and No. 2 ranked Gilbert Burns and No. 5 ranked Stephen Thompson have agreed to fight on July 10 at UFC 264.
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