It appears playing the waiting game could pay off for Colby Covington.
Covington (16-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC), who hasn’t competed since stopping former champion Tyron Woodley last September, has made it clear that he wants to either run things back with UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman or fight his former best friend, Jorge Masvidal.
But when Usman was paired up for a rematch with Masvidal, it left Covington in a quandary. The former interim champ still decided to stick to his guns by not getting a fight booked and, according to Dana White, he will get what he wants.
Usman (18-1 MMA, 13-0 UFC) rematches Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 14-8 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 261 main event, and White said he plans on setting up the highly anticipated rematch between Covington and Usman if the champion retains.
“He’s (Usman) at a point in his career now where he’s looking at, ‘Who’s next again?,’” White told TSN. “He’s coming back and gonna be facing guys that he’s already beat. So Masvidal obviously took that fight on short notice, so let’s give him this fight and we can do away with all the excuses. And then, Colby Covington’s next.”
Covington gave Usman his toughest test to date when they squared off at UFC 245 in December 2019. He was up 3-1 on one of the judges’ scorecards heading into Round 5 before getting stopped with less than a minute remaining in the fight. Covington was visibly upset with the stoppage and has wanted nothing more than to get another crack at the title.
Contrary to White, Usman doesn’t think Covington deserves another shot at him. Even Usman’s manager went another direction by saying Nate Diaz is next if he beats Leon Edwards, but White likes the idea of the Covington rematch.
“The fight with him and Colby Covington is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” White said. “Colby Covington, love him or hate him or whatever your deal is with him, is one of the best fighters in the world. He’s a very, very good fighter, and that fight was incredible, and both guys had to dig deep in that fight. It’s one of the best fights I’ve ever seen, ever.”
He continued, “Who knows? Anything can happen. Guys get injured, things happen, timing. Who knows, especially in this day and age? But that should be the fight that happens next.”