Kamaru Usman made his dislike for Colby Covington known from the jump.
That said, having beaten his foe twice, Usman (20-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC) will find Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) useful in vetting contenders who come within an arm’s reach of his UFC welterweight title.
“There are a lot of guys in that top of the division,” Usman said in a recent interview with The Underground. “You’ve got Belal Muhammad is there. You’ve got (Khamzat) Chimaev is there. You’ve got Covington is still there, holding that door strong. At this point, Covington is standing right in front of that door. For it to really make sense, for anyone to really get through, they need to go through him because he’s proven he can beat everybody else but he can’t just beat me.
“For you to prove that you can fight for the title, I think you need to go through that guy. At the end of the day, I’m going to keep running through these guys until I’m bored. Whoever is next is next.”
Usman has his sights set on Leon Edwards next. The UFC is angling for the bout to happen in August, though injured tendons in Usman’s hands may delay the process. Beyond Edwards, it could be the surging Chimaev. It could be Belal Muhammad, who is also on a roll. Usman might not be targeting anyone specific, but he’s not ruling anyone out either.
“Things happen very, very fast,” Usman said. “I fought (Gilbert) Burns in February, end of February, technically almost March. When did I fight him? I don’t know. I fought him in February and I fought Masvidal in April. Things happen very, very quickly. If I’m healthy and I get in there and I’m able to go in and go through a guy, Leon Edwards is a tough, tough guy. I know that. The world knows that. If I’m able to, God willing, get through him very, very quickly, I might decide, ‘You know what? Give me someone next week.’ You never know. It’s relatively close.”
Usman, 35, has not competed since a November victory over Covington. The victory was his fifth successful title defense in as many attempts. He also holds championship victories over Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns.