Tag: Kamaru Usman

[ARCHIVES] Why All MMA Fans Should Be Thankful for Usman vs. Covington

[MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

Here is an editorial that was written two years ago, just prior to the first fight between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington at UFC 245. Now that we’ve witnessed not one but two classics between them, it’s clear that MMA fans did…

Kamaru Usman Colby Covington

[MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

Here is an editorial that was written two years ago, just prior to the first fight between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington at UFC 245. Now that we’ve witnessed not one but two classics between them, it’s clear that MMA fans did have plenty to be thankful for. Here is a trip back to the past before the two ever met in the Octagon, capturing the magnitude of their first classic which was right around the corner.

[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 28, 2019, 12:00 PM]

Ah, Thanksgiving. It’s a time for families to come together and be thankful for all of life’s blessings that have been bestowed upon them. Yes, we all have something to be thankful for, and today is a day to take the time to reflect on those things. In my case, what I am most thankful for today isn’t any turkey or stuffing, it’s the impending showdown between UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington at UFC 245 that will take place two weeks from Saturday.

That’s right, MMA fam, the only stuffing I’m thankful for is getting to find out which of these elite MMA wrestlers will be treated to some takedown stuffing come December 14 and seeing which of the two will eat the most shots. When it comes to consuming damage, both Usman and Covington have displayed a true lack of appetite, with both men barely getting touched in each of their combined 21 fights, with Usman absorbing a meager 1.60 strikes per minute and Covington only absorbing 2.35.

And in terms of dishing it out, both men may choose to take the path of least resistance whenever it is presented to them, but make no mistake, both fighters know how to serve up beatdowns. In fact, despite the myth that both men are one-dimensional, Colby Covington holds the record for most strikes thrown in a UFC fight, with his total of 541 against Robbie Lawler in his most recent outing. As for Usman, when faced with his toughest challenge to date against then-champion Tyron Woodley, Usman not only set a record for most body shots in a UFC fight, but he also had the largest strike differential in UFC title fight history in that same fight! Geesh, that’s a lot of absence of “hugging” from both men. Where’s the love?

So if the elite wrestling skills of both men cancel each other out, then somebody is going to be on the receiving end of more punches than they have ever been before….or maybe they both will. Maybe fans will be surprised when two men who are used to feasting on their opponents’ wills tear into one another in an unexpected five-round war. Yes, like a kid whose parents continue to hint at an epic Christmas gift that I have no clue about, in these weeks that lead up to the big December day, it’s the not knowing that I am so thankful for. And as we all know, the anticipation season for the big December event officially begins on Thanksgiving day.

Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington have proven to be the most dominant fighters in the welterweight division. Between them, an argument can be made that save Covington’s first-round submission loss to Warrlley Alves four years ago, neither man has lost a round in the UFC. Both grapplers have instead become accustomed to earning the MMA equivalent of technical falls. They have been so dominant that there’s a great chance that this is but only the first chapter in what will turn out to be a long rivalry between two supreme talents. And that’s another thing that I am thankful for about this contest: both men are 100% in their primes.

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for the things we have and also for the things that we may regretfully take for granted in our day-to-day lives. Well, a 10-0 versus 10-1 bout between two competitors in their prime is nothing to take for granted. Sure, it might not generate the buzz of other fights this year, including the BMF bout earlier this month between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, but the fact remains that Kamaru Usman versus Colby Covington, from a competitive standpoint, is the fight of the year on paper. Both men may have their detractors, and their fighting styles aren’t typically the most fan-friendly, but that doesn’t change the reality that if you are a purist and you want to know who the best man is, these are the fights to salivate over because they are rare, as they are truly rare, as our Khabib versus Ferguson woes illustrate.

So I invite you to join me at this table of those who are thankful for talents like Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, even if many around you are not. And if you are a grace-sayer, go ahead and say a prayer that both men make it to Las Vegas fully intact and far above 30%. Because aside from all the drama between the fighters and all the outside noise of ingrates who do not truly appreciate how epic of a fight this is, the plain truth is: this is a really, really damn good fight that any fan of our sport should be thankful for.

Now go eat.

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Jorge Masvidal Bashes ‘Hugback Mountain’ Matchup Between Usman & Covington

Kamaru Usman will make his first welterweight title defense against Colby Covington this December, a matchup Jorge Masvidal isn’t too thrilled for. Usman will put his title up for grabs against “Chaos” in the main event of UFC 245 on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 14. It’s very […]

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Kamaru Usman will make his first welterweight title defense against Colby Covington this December, a matchup Jorge Masvidal isn’t too thrilled for.

Usman will put his title up for grabs against “Chaos” in the main event of UFC 245 on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 14. It’s very much a matchup of elite wrestlers, and will likely feature more grappling than anything. Given that, “Gamebred” recently took to Twitter to take aim at the matchup, which he thinks will ultimately prove to be a bleak affair.

“I would like to know the rules of engagement for the ufc event coming up brought to us by the same boys who gave us “ Hugback Mountain “ and Grinder.com. We know hugging is strictly enforced and mandated but what about punching, knees, and elbows? #askingforafriend”

Masvidal, who is arguably the Fighter Of The Year for 2019, has made a solid case for the next opportunity at the 170-pound title. He started the year with a vicious knockout win over Darren Till in front of an English crowd. Then, he recorded the fastest knockout in UFC history at five seconds, nailing Ben Askren with a flying knee right out the gate.

And, of course, most recently, Masvidal picked up a TKO win over Nate Diaz at UFC 244, by way of a Doctor Stoppage, after a dominating performance. There has been a lot of speculation as to what’s next for Masvidal. Potential fights with Nick Diaz, Conor McGregor, and the winner of Usman vs. Covington have all been tossed around.

Masvidal, however, has made it quite clear – his next move will be for the biggest paycheck available. Whether or not that ultimately proves to be a fight with gold on the line, remains to be seen.

Do you think Usman vs. Covington will deliver in the entertainment department?

Jorge Masvidal
Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

 

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Exclusive: ATT Owner Dan Lambert Reacts To Colby Covington Mentioning Glenn Robinson’s Death At UFC 245 Presser

American Top Team (ATT) owner Dan Lambert is expecting an interesting clash when Kamaru Usman defends his welterweight title against Colby Covington. After more than a year’s worth of trash talk, the pair will finally collide in the main event of UFC 245 which takes place December 14 in Las Vegas. The stylistic matchup notably […]

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American Top Team (ATT) owner Dan Lambert is expecting an interesting clash when Kamaru Usman defends his welterweight title against Colby Covington.

After more than a year’s worth of trash talk, the pair will finally collide in the main event of UFC 245 which takes place December 14 in Las Vegas. The stylistic matchup notably intrigues many in the combat sport world, especially given how both Usman and Covington have similar styles.

Who will impose their game first? Nobody knows. And that is one reason why Lambert is anticipating the welterweight title showdown:

“I think Usman is a great fighter. The guy’s not the champion for no reason,” Lambert told Lowkick MMA. “He brings a lot to the table, he’s got a certain style that can give a lot of people a lot of trouble. It’s going to be an interesting fight.

“You’ve got two guys who have pretty much dominated every minute of every round of every fight that they’ve ever been in since they’ve been in the UFC, it’s going to be interesting to see how one of those guys holds up when he starts getting on the other end of it and being on the wrong side of the fight.”

Covington’s EPO claims

Stylistic matchup aside, the trash talking and animosity between Usman and Covington is another reason why many are excited by the matchup. Covington, in particular, is no stranger to crossing the line.

At the pre-UFC 245 press conference earlier this month, he notably accused Usman of being on EPO. Whether there’s any truth to that or if he’s just trying to get into Usman’s head, Lambert has no particular knowledge about the matter:

“I have no knowledge of it myself,” he said. “I don’t know how much of that was talk, I don’t know how much of that he had some type of knowledge on.

“I think EPO was kind of a gray area in the USADA testing. I think a lot of people were surprised – first and foremost Dana White – when they found out fighters weren’t being tested for that all those years. But now it’s being tested for, allegedly, and I haven’t heard of Usman failing any drug tests. So, I don’t know. I don’t know what to make of that.”

Mocking Glenn Robinson

Covington didn’t stop there, either. He also took a dig at Usman’s team — the Blackzillians, now known as Hard Knocks 365. Co-founder of the gym Glenn Robinson passed away last year due to a heart attack.

“Chaos” made a comment before that he passed away because Usman was ducking him and he made sure to bring it up again at the presser, tastelessly adding that Robinson would be watching their fight “from hell.”

The Blackzillians and ATT share a rivalry and while Robinson was not someone Lambert was friends with, he’s also not someone he would say bad things about either:

“I mean, the guy [Robinson] obviously wasn’t high on my list of people that I called friends or respected in the business,” he added of Covington’s comments. “But I mean, the guy passed away, what am I going to say? I’m not going to sit here and say great things about a guy just because he passed away. And I’m certainly not going to say bad things about somebody who has passed away. So, it is what it is.”

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UFC 245 Gets Phenomenal Promo (Video)

UFC 245 will go down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 14, 2019. The card will feature three huge title fights. In the main event of the night, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman puts his title up for grabs against Colby Covington. In the co-main event, Max Holloway […]

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UFC 245 will go down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 14, 2019.

The card will feature three huge title fights. In the main event of the night, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman puts his title up for grabs against Colby Covington. In the co-main event, Max Holloway defends his featherweight title against Alexander Volkanovski. Also, women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes defends her strap against former foe Germaine de Randamie.

Ahead of the stacked event, the UFC has released a phenomenal video promo to get fans hyped up for the card. You can check it out here in the video player below.

UFC 245

Main Card:

  • Welterweight: (C) Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington
  • Featherweight: (C) Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski
  • Women’s bantamweight: (C) Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie
  • Bantamweight: Marlon Moraes vs. Jose Aldo
  • Bantamweight: Petr Yan vs. Urijah Faber

Preliminary Card:

  • Welterweight: Geoff Neal vs. Mike Perry
  • Women’s bantamweight: Ketlen Vieira vs. Irene Aldana
  • Welterweight: Matt Brown vs. Ben Saunders

Early Prelims:

  • Featherweight: Chase Hooper vs. Daniel Teymur
  • Flyweight: Brandon Moreno vs. Kai Kara-France
  • Women’s flyweight: Jessica Eye vs. Viviane Araújo
  • Middleweight: Punahele Soriano vs. Oskar Piechota

What did you think about the UFC 245 promo video?

 

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Bellator’s Douglas Lima Confident He Would Knock Out Kamaru Usman

Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima doubled down on his claims that he would beat UFC welterweight king Kamaru Usman. Lima regained the welterweight title following a dominant unanimous decision win over Rory MacDonald at Bellator 232 last month. In the process, he became a three-time Bellator champion with 11 wins in his last 13 outings. […]

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Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima doubled down on his claims that he would beat UFC welterweight king Kamaru Usman.

Lima regained the welterweight title following a dominant unanimous decision win over Rory MacDonald at Bellator 232 last month. In the process, he became a three-time Bellator champion with 11 wins in his last 13 outings.

Debates naturally came up afterward about who the best welterweight in the world was. Lima obviously believes he’s one of the best, but the fact that he’s being considered by many despite not being in the UFC is something that excites him:

“I consider myself one of the best,” Lima told MMA Fighting. “I’ll fight anyone in the division no matter where they are. I believe I’d beat any one of those guys (in the UFC). Rankings are complicated, anyone has their opinion, but seeing that many consider me the best excites me even more.”

If he got his way, “The Phenom” would face the best the UFC has to offer. So naturally, he would love to face Usman, who is yet to taste defeat with the promotion:

“The champion, no doubt,” Lima added of who he’d want to face. “I would choose the one who’s considered the best. Usman is really tough, has good wrestling, so I wouldn’t think twice before choosing him. It would be a big fight.

“He’s on a roll, (and) he’s breaking everyone, so it would be a good fight for me, even if his style doesn’t favor me. I had problems with wrestlers in the past, and he has good wrestling. But I’m evolving, (and) I’m feeling great. I don’t think too much about it, but it would be great if that happened.”

Lima previously claimed he was better than “The Nigerian Nightmare” and believes if that fight did come to fruition, it would only end in one way:

“A knockout, right? For sure,” Lima said. “I’d go for the knockout. He has knockout power, but he usually wins by decision. I believe we would eventually find that chin.”

Do you agree with Lima?

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