Defeating Kamaru Usman is like opening the impossible pickle jar.
Leon Edwards was able to finish “The Nigerian Nightmare” at UFC 278 — then shut him down in their UFC 286 rematch — because longtime welterweight contender Colby Covington did all the heavy lifting in championship losses at UFC 245 and UFC 268.
“No doubt about it, I took the fight out of Usman,” Covington said during an interview with UFC.com. “His chin was never the same and I’m the one that loosened up that chin. I head kicked him and had him on wobbly legs, then he calls timeout. It’s not like Leon did something that I hadn’t already done.”
Covington has been doing this shtick so long he probably believes it at this point.
Despite his 0-2 record in title fights, as well as his prolonged inactivity at 170 pounds, the 35 year-old Covington will compete for the division title (again) when he challenges Edwards atop the UFC 296 pay-per-view (PPV) card on Dec. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“This is not about the destination; it’s about the journey to me. I’ve had a great journey and I’ve developed a lot,” Covington continued. “No one has seen what I’ve been doing and how hard I’ve been working every single day with the blood, sweat, and tears I’ve put in. Dec. 16, the world is in for a rude awakening. All my haters are going to be so salty.”
To see the rest of the UFC 296 fight card and PPV lineup click here.