The UFC welterweight title rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington is in the works for UFC 268 in November, as ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported on Monday.
Usman and Covington competed in arguably one of the greatest title fights in UFC history at UFC 245, as the champion Usman won via fifth-round TKO. Since then, Covington has only fought one time in a dominant win over Tyron Woodley, while Usman has earned back-to-back wins over Jorge Masvidal.
This comes after weeks and months of back-and-forth between the two sides on social media and in-person. After his win over Woodley, Covington got into a heated verbal altercation during the ESPN broadcast while Usman made a guest appearance at the desk. Usman and his management team, including infamous manager Ali Abdelaziz, have said that Covington doesn’t deserve a title shot due to his inactivity.
But it appears that those recent squabbles have been put to rest as Usman and Covington will add another chapter to their heated rivalry. UFC president Dana White told Okamoto that the promotion is strongly considering putting the rematch at New York’s Madison Square Garden, though details regarding the specific date and location have yet to be officially announced.
A lot has changed for both Usman and Covington since their first fight way back in December 2019. Both fighters have showcased vast improvements in their striking, with both Usman and Covington earning knockout wins since their last contest.
It was widely expected that Covington would fight his old teammate, Masvidal earlier this year, but negotiations for a potential fight never materialized. The two were also rumored to be close to coaching The Ultimate Fighter together, but Masvidal ended up vying for a rematch with Usman at UFC 261.
The rematch cements the UFC welterweight title picture for the rest of the year, which had been a bit crowded after recent wins by Gilbert Burns and others in the stacked welterweight division.
What is your way-too-early prediction for Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2?