Number one ranked UFC Welterweight contender Colby Covington was sitting cage side as his former opponent and UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman secured a stunning knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal.
When asked by the UFC’s Megan Olivi if he was suprised by Usman’s ability to finish his former training partners Colby shared that he wasn’t impressed.
“You know it took eight minutes longer than when I would finish Jorge Masvidal every time we’d train,” Covington said. “That guys a journeyman, what’s he got 14/15 losses on his record? You shouldn’t be happy and praising yourself for beating a journeyman like that, there’s a reason he’s a backstabber, a street Judas, a bum.”
Heading into this UFC 261 main event fight many analyst’s believed that it would be Usman’s dominant wrestling that would secure him a second victory over Masvidal as it did in their initial meeting back in June of 2020, however, Covington claims that he knew Usman could finish Masvidal on the feet.
“I definetly knew it was a possibility because he bring the threat of a takedown and that’s what Masvidal is worried about the threat of a takedown he didn’t want to get taken down and gassed out,” Covington explained.
“It’s a different style matchup when I fight Marty (Usman), he knows he can’t take me down, I’m gonna take him down in deep waters, I’m gonna take him down and finish him.”
Covington first met Usman inside the cage back at UFC 245 in December of 2019. The pair engaged in a five round war that ended with Usman finding a TKO victory in the final round.
Since Usman’s latest victory UFC president Dana White has shared that Covington will be next for Usman, and Covington expects to fight a different fight with the help of his new team at MMA Masters.
“What has to go different is I just have to put a higher pace on him next time you know? I didn’t put enough of a pace on him last time, and just keep my hands up and I know I’m gonna get my hands raised when I fight him.”
As it stands there is no timeline for when the rematch could take place.