Usman & White Have Different Responses About Covington Rematch
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The differing energy levels between Dana White and Kamaru Usman regarding a potential rematch against Colby Covington were evident at the UFC 261 post-fight press conference.
Coming into UFC 261, Dana White had already confirmed that Colby Covington would be next in line for Kamaru Usman if Usman were to defeat Jorge Masvidal. Well, defeat Masvidal he did, so Dana White held true to his previous remarks and doubled down on Covington being Usman’s next opponent.
“It’s the fight to make,” White said at the UFC 261 post-fight press conference. “He’s the number-one guy in the world. Usman’s thing was, he didn’t want him to be the backup. He was like, ‘I want Masvidal, and I want a camp, then I’ll take (Covington) again. And he was like, ‘I’m gonna start lapping these guys.’
Kamaru Usman Explains Why He Is Rematching Masvidal & Not Covington
Kamaru Usman, Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington
Kamaru Usman is putting his cards on the table as to why he will be fighting Jorge Masvidal in the UFC 261 main event and not Colby Covington.
After it was announced that UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will be making his next title defense against Jorge Masvidal, a question asked by many was, “Why?” Kamaru Usman just defeated Masvidal in a lopsided victory last year in what was Masvidal’s most recent fight. So why is he being granted what is essentially an immediate rematch?
Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal
Colby Covington is joining Gilbert Burns in calling out Jorge Masvidal for citing his six days’ notice as a key reason behind his loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 251.
Following his loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 251, Jorge Masvidal made it clear at the post-fight press conference that he was not going to make any excuses, yet could not help but share his belief that he would have performed better with more than six days’ notice. In the weeks following the event, however, Masvidal has frequently made mention of the six days’ notice, and it has not gone unnoticed by some of his welterweight peers.
So, is Jorge Masvidal really the best option for Kamaru Usman right now? Can Alexa Grasso get a title bid going at flyweight? And is there any chance the UFC will need Kelvin Gastelum to sub in for Robert Whittaker or Paulo Costa?
To answer those questions – and a couple other things – I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology from the UFC of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. Hopefully, by following that model, a few of these bout ideas will actually make it off the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s get to the fights!