“He’s the second best guy in the division. He’s the second best guy in the world, no doubt about it. The guy is so durable and tough. His fighting style is tough to beat, and his cardio is insane. So I don’t think anybody else beats that guy but Usman. If Usman doesn’t exist, he’s the world champion. But unfortunately for him, Usman does (exist).” – Dana White said of Colby Covington to the reporters at the UFC 268 post-fight press conference after Kamaru Usman and Covington had just battered each other over five rounds in their rematch at the Madison Square Garden, New York for the welterweight title. Almost four years after that bout, Covington remembers things differently.
Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman’s rivalry was one of the most captivating storylines in the welterweight division. At their peak, both fighters were at the top of their game, and their clashes were nothing short of a brutal bloodbath. “Usman is just – this guy is the best ever. He’s the best welterweight of all time. He is on his way to possible GOAT status, and Colby Covington is one tough dude. He is so tough.” White said after UFC 268. The pair have faced each other twice in their careers, and while a trilogy seems unlikely since neither holds the championship, Covington continues to take shots at Usman, recently labeling the former champ a cheater.
While speaking with Digital Social Hour, Colby Covington emphasized that he is one of the cleanest athletes in the entire UFC. However, he claimed that his opponents did not share the same integrity. Taking a shot at Kamaru Usman, ‘Chaos’ accused him of cheating during their fights. “I fought a lot of cheaters in the UFC… Kamaru Usman, who’s obviously on steroids. You look at him; he looks like a lab project,” said Covington.
He further added, “The guy looks like a bodybuilder. Yeah, you know, I had to fight that guy twice for title fights, so I know he cheated me out of many titles.” The first time Colby Covington fought Kamaru Usman was at UFC 245 when he was the interim welterweight champion. In his endeavor to unify the title, ‘Chaos’ was defeated by Usman via knockout. Two years later, Covington again shared the Octagon with ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ and again he was defeated by way of a unanimous decision.
UFC pesagem oficial SÃO PAULO, SP – 27.10.2017: UFC PESAGEM OFICIAL – In the picture the fighter Colby Covington. The UFC Fight Night weigh-in will be held this Saturday (28) with the main fight between Brunson vs. Machida at the Gymnasium of Ibirapuera, south of the capital of São Paulo. (Photo: Aloisio Mauricio/Fotoarena) x1413899x PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRA AloisioxMauricio
When asked about how he feels about his losses against Kamaru Usman, Covington asserted that it’s frustrating because he stayed clean while others decided to take the shortcuts, “It’s super frustrating because I’ve never cut corners. I’ve always done things the hard way, you know, and the right way. I didn’t cut corners and do steroids to get an advantage. I just trusted in and believed in God, and I had faith in my work ethic. I let that be the determiner. But to get cheated out of titles and millions of dollars is such a hard thing to have to swallow.”
This is not the first time, Colby Covington took shots at Kamaru Usman. Last year, the former interim welterweight champion in a Twitch stream ascertained that Usman was nothing but a sore cheater, “Just because he’s a cheater and he’s a coward. He definitely cheated multiple times in our fights.” ‘Chaos’ doesn’t respect his clash with Usman but what about the former champion? What does ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ think of Covington? Let us find out.
Kamaru Usman believes Colby Covington was a good dancing partner for him
Years after his last battle with Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman reflected on their heated rivalry during a chat with Josh Thomson and John McCarthy on the Weighing In podcast. In an unexpected turn, Usman acknowledged Covington as a worthy adversary and even admitted that the high-stakes intensity of their wars inside the cage carried an almost addictive thrill.“I know people can’t believe that I would go ‘credit to Colby Covington,’” he said.
He further added, “I used to hear it all the time, where people say ‘you need a great dance partner,’ and he was that. In that first fight, it was so much tension where it challenged me so much to prepare, to train, and to go out there and get it locked into the zone, it’s almost addictive — that zone where it’s like ‘I don’t care what happens.’”
Both Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington have been going through a very tough phase in their careers. Usman has lost three consecutive fights, while Covington is on a two-fight losing streak. Can their losing streaks force the UFC to book a fight between them? Time will tell. Regardless, what are your thoughts on their rivalry? State your opinions in the comments below.
The post “He Cheated” – Kamaru Usman Faces Cruel Allegations as Colby Covington Humiliates Ex-UFC Star appeared first on EssentiallySports.