UFC 268 Preview: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington II
One of the most heated UFC rivalries of the past decade will reignite on Saturday 6th November. The roof inside Madison Square Garden might not be able to contain the explosive battle between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington when their UFC welterweight journeys will cross paths for a second encounter – reigniting an intense dislike for one another. Championship implications, a long-standing feud, and an arena full of screaming fans are the perfect ingredients for a history-making main event matchup.
UFC 245: Where it All Began
In December 2019, at UFC 245, Kamaru Usman defended his welterweight championship for the first time versus one of his most formidable opponents to date.
A back-and-forth battle between the former interim welterweight champion and the current champ led fans into a nail-biting twenty-minute war. Still, during the fifth round, “The Nigerian Nightmare” lived up to his nickname by forcing the referee to stop the bout.
Covington claimed robbery, but controversy aside, the fight was extraordinarily well-matched, and to this date, nobody has given Usman a more significant test for his welterweight title. The drama surrounding the entire battle from a broken jaw and a wrongful stoppage became more intense than usual based on the genuine dislike both men held and still hold for each other.
Referee Marc Goddard took verbal abuse from Covington, but it’s hard to discredit the stoppage when replaying the fight. Again, win or lose, many critics anticipated Covington becoming the most demanding test for Usman, and their predictions were precise. Covington received generous betting odds of +175 from online betting sites, a price that no other contender has matched.
Who is Kamaru Usman?
Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman is on course to becoming one of the most dominant welterweights in mixed martial arts history.
A decorated background in wrestling, which included the NCAA Division II National Championship, led the Nigerian born athlete into a professional fighting career. In 2012 Usman had accumulated a 5-1 professional record, which drew the attention of UFC promoter Dana White.
Usman’s first appearance for the promotion started with The Ultimate Fighter reality show, where competitors would have to fight their way through a bracket elimination style tournament to earn a contract with the company. Of course, Usman dominated, and his wrestling base has assisted him in remaining undefeated to this day while collecting UFC gold along the way.
Now, boasting a 19-1-0 professional record overall, standing tall with the UFC welterweight championship around his waist, Kamaru Usman isn’t far from overshadowing the legendary reign of George Saint Pierre.
With that said, history isn’t created alone, and without a nemesis in Covington, Usman’s popularity may not have surfaced so vastly. Usman recognizes that Covington is a genuine threat to his welterweight legacy between the trolling, the hatred, and a consistent dislike for one another.
“He’s definitely up there,” Usman told mmafighting.com. “I’m not a hater, I give props where props are due. I think Colby probably is, I would put him in the top-15 welterweights of all time, as far as fighter-wise and skill-wise, the way that he fights. You may not like him personally, which I really don’t, but as far as skill-wise, he’s a good fighter. A very, very good fighter.”
“I think we were both content with understanding that was a Mano a Mano, we needed to duke it out, we needed to go back in the day and just throw fisticuffs and see who got the better of the other,” Usman said. “I told him, I said I would punish him for four and a half rounds, and I would finish him and that’s exactly what I did. I think in this next fight he’s gonna try to be a little more strategic but he’s going to quickly realize that’s not gonna work so you’re just stuck in there getting beat up.”
These are the kindest words you’ll ever hear from the mouths of both Usman and Covington, in a rivalry that’s conjured up nicknames such as “Marty Fake Newsman” and Usman purposely liking pictures of Covington’s sister on Instagram.
Much like his arch-rival, Covington stems from a decorated wrestling background. Wrestling is widely regarded as “the best base skillset for MMA”, and both men can be thankful to this attribute for reaching the top of the game. But the question lingers, does Covington have what it takes to defeat Usman? Can the correct adjustments be made to tackle the undefeated reign of “The Nigerian Nightmare”?
UFC 268: Covington vs. Usman – The Rematch
Two years since their first encounter and three title defences later for the champ, there isn’t much competition remaining as Kamaru Usman is clearing out the welterweight division. It’s the rematch we need, the fans, the media, and from a competitive standpoint. It’s true, Covington gave Usman his toughest test, and if a rematch is to be made, it’s this one.
Ring rust could undoubtedly affect the challenger; it’s been two years since his previous bout in which he finished the former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in the fifth round. At the opposite end, Usman successfully defeated Jorge Masvidal and knocked out Gilbert Burns.
It’s difficult to ignore the continuous success of the defending champion. Despite Covington offering up a great challenge, the 175lb king looks unstoppable with a skill set that evolves each time he enters the octagon.
