One of the longer standing rivalries in the UFC today is that of reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and former interim champion Colby Covington. Usman claims that the two welterweights have been scheduled to fight on numerous occasions only for Covington to refuse to sign his name on the dotted line. Ironically, it is now Covington making the same claim against Kamaru Usman, who is currently recovering from hernia surgery and unable to fight.
With Usman sitting out, Colby Covington has labeled Usman as Woodley 2.0, another welterweight champion ducking and avoiding him with faux injuries. As could be expected, the Nigerian Nightmare scoffed at and then refuted these claims:
“It’s comical actually,” Usman told MMA Junkie of Covington’s comments. “It’s a clear fact that I had double hernia surgery. It’s a clear fact that I had a tube coming out of my stomach, that I had to pump the blood out of there.”
“He (doctor) said it would be some time before I got to even participate in activities again, and hearing this guy (Covington) now saying, ‘Oh, he’s faking injuries.’ No, it’s a clear fact I am injured, not faking injuries here,” Usman said. “I was wheeled out on a wheelchair after my fight because I could not walk. I mean, who wants to pretend to be on a wheelchair after they’ve done something as major as becoming the world champion?”
Colby Covington has moved on from the time being, currently set to take on former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler on August 3rd. As for Usman, he continues to shoot for a return before the close of 2019:
“Absolutely before the year is over, for sure,” Usman said of his next fight. “I love to fight; this is what I do. And then now being in the position that I’m in, the more I fight, the more I run up that bank account, so of course I need to get in there, and I need to fight.”
Do you believe Kamaru Usman’s first title defense will be against Colby Covington?
