LAS VEGAS -- Kamaru Usman turned in the performance of a lifetime in utter domination of Tyron Woodley to claim the welterweight championship at UFC 235, which took place at the T-Mobile Arena. And although he entered the post-fight press conference in a wheelchair due to a lingering injury, Usman already has his sights set on his next opponent. To say that he's excited about the prospect of putting hands on former interim titleholder Colby Covington would be putting it lightly. Their budding rivalry intensified when the two crossed paths at The Palms Casino Resort on Sunday.
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In a video posted by TMZ, Usman and his manager Ali Abdelaziz engaged in a back and forth with Covington outside of the A.Y.C.E. buffet. Things heated up quickly as Abdelaziz can be seen going after Covington. Security arrived before the situation escalated any further.
“I want to f--k that guy up so badly,” Usman said with a wide smile stretched across his face at the UFC 235 post-fight press conference a night earlier. “I can’t be in a room with that guy. I can’t. I can’t wait to heal up and really put my hands on him. That’s one I’m going to enjoy brutalizing him.”
After Usman was announced as the new welterweight champion with a performance that kept Woodley pinned against the fence or on his back for the entirety of their 25-minute clash, the newly minted champion soon found himself engaged in a war of words with Covington, who was Octagonside and spouted insults to Usman as he exited the Octagon. Security pulled the two fighters apart before things escalated, but Usman is certainly interested in getting the opportunity to shut the mouth of the boisterous welterweight.
Their rivalry intensified after UFC 235 when UFC president Dana White announced that Covington would indeed be Usman's first title defense when the UFC's first African-born champion was healthy enough to fight. Usman is certainly ready for the task, despite admitting that he's been fighting on "one leg" for the past several years.
“I’ve been on one leg for years now,” Usman said. “So to be able to open up and use my kicks will make me so much more dangerous it wouldn’t even be fair once I start to use some of the weapons we work on. Once I go into these fights and we have to go through the ringer to prepare for them and we know I’m not 100 percent going in, winning is the most important thing and dominating is the most important thing and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
As for Covington, he's spent the past week in Las Vegas campaigning for a fight. According to White, the former interim champion initially passed on the opportunity to face Woodley, which opened the door for Usman. Covington disputes that he refused the fight and has been a thorn in the side of Usman all week. He made his presence felt at the UFC 235 open workouts and heckled Usman from the crowd, which drew the ire of the new champion.
Sunday's altercation is just another chapter in the growing feud that is certain to have bad blood by the time the two fighters stand across from one another in the Octagon.
