For several years, Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington shared one of the most bitter rivalries in the UFC.
Their rivalry culminated with two violent fights in the Octagon. Usman won both encounters, first defeating Covington by fifth-round TKO in 2019, and later by decision in 2021, but both fights were razor close.
Years removed from his last fight with Covington, Usman revisited the rivalry in a conversation with Josh Thomson and John McCarthy on the Weighing In podcast.
In a somewhat surprising twist, he gave Covington props for being a great rival, and actually admitted there was an addictive quality to the intensity of their fights in the Octagon.
"I know people can’t believe that I would go ‘credit to Colby Covington,'" he said. "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 to 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.’"
Usman's 2021 decision win over Covington marked the last of his five title defenses as UFC welterweight champion. In his next fight, he surrendered the title to Leon Edwards, suffering a shocking, fifth-round head kick knockout loss. He was then granted an immediate rematch with Edwards, but once again lost to the Brit, this time by decision.
Kamaru Usman has fought just once since his second loss to Edwards. His last fight occurred last October, when he accepted a middleweight fight with undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev on just days' notice. He lost the fight by decision, but performed very well despite the short-notice circumstances.
Covington, meanwhile, has fought only twice since his last loss to Usman. First, he rebounded with a wide decision win over his former training partner Jorge Masvidal. Then, he came up short in a third bid for the title, suffering a lopsided decision loss to Edwards last December. He was briefly linked to a fight with undefeated welterweight contender Ian Garry, but the fight never materialized.
