Colby Covington believes he deserves the next shot at the title, and he isn’t going to let anyone else suggest otherwise.
Covington won the interim welterweight championship back in 2018 with a decision win over Rafael dos Anjos. He was later stripped of the belt when he was unable to defend it in the UFC’s time window, but would earn an opportunity to fight for the real thing against Kamaru Usman at UFC 245.
The two engaged in a vicious war of words leading up to the bout, which itself was a back-and-forth affair. Usman wound up scoring a late TKO victory, stopping Covington in the fifth round. ‘Chaos’ has since rebounded with a fifth round victory of his own over former champ Tyron Woodley, which he believes makes him the #1 contender for the title. However, the champion begs to differ.
“Show me some activity,” Usman said in a interview with Brett Okamoto. “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 time 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 shot at the title.”
Usman’s words got back to Covington, and he didn’t hold back on his feelings. He accused the champion of ducking him while looking for easier fights, and doubled down on his claim as the rightful next in line.
“Spoken like a true coward who doesn’t want to face the rightful #1 contender,” Covington responded in a Tweet. “The rankings have chosen and so have the people Marty. Just say the truth: you know you can’t win and you’d rather face bums like Street Judas for easy pay and checks.”
‘Street Judas’, of course, refers to Jorge Masvidal, who was recently named Usman’s opponent at UFC 261. The two met previously at UFC 251 in a fight Usman won by clear-cut decision. Despite not earning a victory since, Masvidal was selected over Covington for the opportunity, something that obviously doesn’t sit well with the former interim champ.
Despite not getting the call this time, Covington remains at the top of the welterweight pecking order and could very well see himself matched up against the winner. If that ends up being the case, then regardless of who wins on April 24, expect the trash talk between them and Covington leading up to the fight to be worth the price of admission.
Do you agree with Colby Covington? Is Kamaru Usman looking for easier fights?