Kamaru Usman suggests three opponents Colby Covington could fight before trilogy match
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman suggested three opponents for Colby Covington could fight so he can earn a trilogy match for the belt.
Usman defeated Covington via unanimous decision back at UFC 268 in November in one of the best fights of 2021. It was the second win for Usman over Covington after previously defeating him via TKO in 2019. Usman figures to take on Leon Edwards in his next fight, but Covington has made it clear that he wants the trilogy fight after that. With Covington beating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272, it keeps him in a position to be the No. 1 contender in the UFC welterweight division. But Usman still wants him to get another win.
Speaking to ESPN in a recent interview, Usman was asked what Covington needs to do in order to get a trilogy fight against him. As far as the champ is concerned, Covington hasn’t done enough to earn a trilogy fight until he goes out there and beats Vicente Luque, Gilbert Burns, or Khamzat Chimaev. But should Covington get past one or more of those opponents, then Usman believes Covington could get the trilogy.
“Right now it doesn’t make sense. Go out there and sell yourself. There’s a guy in the division that everyone is kinda giving all this hoopla about, so go out there. There’s a couple more fights you need to take on – you haven’t fought Gilbert Burns, you haven’t fought Vicente Luque, you haven’t fought Chimaev. So, yeah, go out there and get a couple of wins. Then, continue to sell yourself, and you can stake that claim and people won’t deny you,” Usman said (h/t BJPenn.com).
It will be interesting to see what the UFC does next in the welterweight division. Usman figures to take on Edwards, while Luque is fighting Belal Muhammad, and Chimaev fights Burns. Look for Covington to take on one of the winners of those latter two fights, and if he wins that, a trilogy could absolutely be in play.
Do you agree with the suggestions Kamaru Usman made for how Colby Covington can get a trilogy?
