Kamaru Usman places Colby Covington among the 15 best welterweights in history

K. Usman (left) and C. Covington (right) had one of the best fights of 2019. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube TheMacLife

In less than a month, on November 6th, Kamaru Usman e Colby covington stage one of the most anticipated rematches in recent years in the main fight of the UFC 268. After an exciting first duel, with the Nigerian winning by knockout in the fifth round, Covington may not have won the welterweight belt (up to 77 kg) or the champion's favor, but he gained respect.

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In an interview with journalist Helen Yee, Kamaru Usman talked about the rival's skills. Despite reinforcing that he doesn't like Covington as a person, the champion placed the North American among the 15 best welterweights in MMA history.

“He’s definitely up there. I'm not a 'hater', I give credit when credit is due. I would probably put Colby in the top 15 welterweights of all time, in terms of ability as a fighter and skills, the way he fights. You might not like him personally, and I really don't, but skill-wise he's a good fighter. Very good fighter”, analyzed Usman.

Unlike Covington, who has only had one fight since the 2019 duel, Kamaru Usman remained active in the organization. The champion defended the welterweight title on three more occasions: against Jorge masvidal (twice) and Gilbert Burns. In the last two, he achieved knockout victories. Usman, however, stated that, more than achieving an interruption, his objective when entering the octagon is to show superiority against his opponents.

“It doesn’t matter to me whether I get the interruption or not. The way I fight, I want to dominate the guy from start to finish. I want to show superiority. I want him to go home, lie in bed at night and think, 'shit, that guy is better than me. There's nothing I can do to defeat him.' That's the feeling I want to have against these guys every time they compete against me. Whether he ends it or not, I want him to have that feeling. But, of course, interruption would be great and it’s something people expect from me at the moment.”

Kamaru Usman e Colby covington face each other in the main fight of the UFC 268, on November 6th. The event also features a fight for the interim bantamweight title (up to 61,2 kg) between the former champion Petr yan e Cory Sandhagen.