Colby Covington says UFC champ Kamaru Usman is "literally the Woodley 2.0, taking all of Woodley's tricks" to avoid fighting him.
The Colby Covington vs. Kamaru Usman welterweight title fight seemingly is imminent, and Covington is patiently waiting for the booking – though that patience is starting to run thin.
Multiple dates and locations have been thrown Covington’s way, including UFC 242 on Sept. 7 in Abu Dhabi. Although he is open to fighting overseas – especially alongside teammate Dustin Poirier, who takes on Khabib Nurmagomedov to unify the lightweight belts – Covington believes his fight with Usman is big enough for its own headliner, preferably in New York for an expected Nov. 2 date at UFC 244.
“They went to Dan Lambert and were like, ‘Hey, let’s do an American Top Team vs. Khabib and Usman showdown over at Abu Dhabi, and I agreed,” Covington told MMA Junkie. “I was willing to go there. The thing with that is, Khabib vs. Poirier, that sells itself.
“You need to spread out the title fights. You have pay-per-views every month, so it didn’t really make sense from the get-go. It doesn’t matter where the fight’s at. That fight did get serious talks about Abu Dhabi, but I think they want to do New York now.”
Covington (14-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) hasn’t fought since winning the interim welterweight title back in June 2018, when he defeated Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision. Covington was expected to unify the titles with then-welterweight champion Tyron Woodley but was surprisingly stripped when he couldn’t make it to UFC 228 after nasal surgery and was passed up in favor of Darren Till. Woodley defeated Till, and Covington was passed up again when Usman got the next crack at the title.
Usman (15-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) went on to dominate Woodley and secure the championship, which set up the much anticipated fight between him and Covington. Injuries once again are holding up the title fight as Usman has been sidelined, undergoing a double hernia surgery right after his March win over Woodley.
This all seems like deja vu for Covington.
“The thing with him is, he’s trying to find a different injury each week,” Covington said. “One week it’s his hernia, the next week it’s his leg, now he’s trying to say some other stuff. He’s literally the Woodley 2.0. He’s taking all of Woodley’s tricks.”
“Fake injuries, look for easier opponent, look for easier matchups,” Covington added. “That’s kind of what he’s doing. He’s hoping another contender arises that he can fight because he knows if he fights me, it’s an automatic ‘L.’ He doesn’t want to lose everything he’s worked for against me. He knows I’m going to embarrass him and expose him in front of the world.”
Usman has been quite active on social media, going even as far as saying that Covington has to beg him for a fight. Covington disagrees, as he feels like he holds all the cards.
“He has no power; he’s probably the least liked champion in the history of the sport,” Covington said. “He’s the No. 1 contender’s champion. He’s got a ‘Power Rangers’ belt. I’m not begging anybody. He should be begging me. I’m the money fight. I’m the one everyone wants to see. Nobody gives a (expletive) about watching him fight. People are going to be watching this fight because they want to see me win, or they want to see me lose. It’s one or the other, but they’re tuning in to see me.
“There’s no begging. The UFC promised me, Dana White, Hunter (Campbell), all those guys over at UFC brass. They said I’m next, so I’m waiting patiently when he stops faking injuries and we can unify these belts.”
Covington said he was initially offered Usman on June 8 for UFC 238 in Chicago, then in July, but Usman wasn’t ready to go. Covington believes Usman is looking at other opponents because he does not want to fight him.
“Kamaru’s looking desperate,” Covington said. “He’s looking really stupid. The fans are starting to see who the real ‘Marty Fake Newsman’ is. You’re starting to see a guy who’s making excuses. You’re starting to see a guy who’s looking for the easier road. He’s not here to make this division great again like I am. I’m here to fight everybody, the best of the best. Line them up, one by one, I’ll knock them all down. Like I’ve said from the beginning.”
With no official offer for UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, which is a little less than 11 weeks away, Covington now has set his sights on UFC 244 and Madison Square Garden.
“It only makes sense to go to the Garden,” Covington said. “There’s not a main event there yet. It’s four months away, so we have perfect time to promote it and plan it. It doesn’t make sense to have this fight anywhere but America.”
For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, including UFC 242 and UFC 244, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
