Ben Askren isn’t looking forward to the buildup for Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington.
Covington likely secured his number one contender spot this past Saturday night (Aug. 3). “Chaos” took on Robbie Lawler in the main event of UFC Newark. In his first bout since June 2018, Covington looked like he didn’t miss a step. He defeated Lawler in a one-sided unanimous decision victory.
Askren Dreads Pre-Fight Banter Between Usman & Covington
Askren appeared on ESPN’s Ariel Helwani MMA Show earlier today (Aug. 5). During his appearance, Askren predicted a successful title defense for Usman.
“I’ve told you before, I think Marty wins. I don’t know about easily. I think it’s gonna be a tough, gritty fight. I think they’re relatively the same fighter, you know? They’re both good wrestlers with average jiu-jitsu. They’re both volume punchers, not power punchers. And so I think it’s gonna be just a tough, gritty fight.”
With that said, Askren is not looking forward to the trash talk between Usman and Covington.
“It’s gonna be terrible. It’s gonna be so painful. We’re gonna lose multiple IQ points listening to those idiots argue.”
The war of words between Usman and Covington have already begun. The two traded barbs during the UFC Newark post-fight show. Security even intervened at one point.
Askren’s next bout hasn’t been made official, but many are expecting him to fight Demian Maia. The two welterweights engaged in a friendly Twitter conversation in an attempt to make the bout a reality. “Funky” hopes to rebound from his record-setting knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal back in July.
