I guess Colby Covington got tired of waiting around for Kamaru Usman to get off the bench and will instead risk his 170-pound title shot against former champion, Robbie Lawler, in the UFC on ESPN 5 welterweight main event, scheduled for Sat., Aug. 3, 2019 inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
That’s according to a report from ESPN, which has Usman “dealing with injuries” after capturing the 170-pound crown from Tyron Woodley back in March. I guess now would be a good time to mention these comments.
“UFC needed a main event on short notice so I agreed to defend my title in my first defense against the last real champion this division has had,” Covington told Ariel Helwani.
Covington (14-1) has captured six straight fights at 170 pounds and previously held the interim title. Lawler (28-13, 1 NC), meanwhile, returned to competition at UFC 235, where he may or may not have been submitted against the debuting Ben Askren.
Covington’s manager, Dan Lambert, told Brett Okamoto that “Chaos” agreed to multiple dates against both Usman and Woodley, but neither fight came together. Even if you dislike Covington (can’t say I blame you), it’s kinda hard to not take his side in all of this.
Unless you’re the No. 5-ranked Askren.
Hey @ColbyCovMMA …. told you dumbass. Listen to me next time.
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) June 25, 2019
As of this writing, the only other bouts on tap for UFC Newark are Jim Miller vs. Clay Guida at lightweight and Matt Schnell vs. Jordan Espinosa at flyweight, though you can expect that to change sooner, rather than later.