Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, used to sit atop the 170-pound throne and pick his spots. If he didn’t want to defend his title or perhaps did not approve of the next available contender, he simply came back with a doctor’s note.
Though to be fair, he was choosing his opponents long before that.
Now it’s Kamaru Usman’s turn to call the shots after capturing the welterweight title from “The Chosen One” at UFC 235 back in March. Promotion president, Dana White, insists Colby Covington is next in line for a 170-pound title shot, but it appears “The Nigerian Nightmare” has yet to make up his mind.
“Look at where the division is now,” Usman told MMA Junkie. “You’ve got Anthony Pettis coming in and knocking out ‘Wonderboy,’ two-time title challenger. You’ve got (Jorge) Masvidal coming in and knocking out Darren Till, former title challenger. There’s some things that are going on there. So based on how Ben Askren does in his next performance, that could be a possible option. Don’t forget Santiago Ponzinibbio is still out there. So, there’s options out there.”
Ben Askren, longtime friend and training partner for Woodley, is expected to earn the next crack at the division crown with an emphatic win over Jorge Masvidal at the upcoming UFC 239 pay-per-view (PPV) event this July in Las Vegas, Nevada, which would also avenge his teammate’s loss.
Covington was recently stripped of the interim strap for turning down the UFC 228 main event, but has worked his way back into the top spot after hunting down and confronting White. I find it hard to believe anyone at UFC would pass on this existing heat to wait for a “Funky” title fight, but I suppose stranger things have happened.
Time will tell.