The road to revenge; remember the last fights of Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington

K. Usman and C. Covington face off before the first confrontation. Reproduction: Youtube/UFC

The long-awaited rematch week has arrived. In approximately 48 hours, Kamaru Usman e Colby covington will be the main fight of the UFC 268, in a duel valid for the welterweight belt (under 77,1kg). To heat up this 'stubbornness', SUPER LUTAS tells us about the athletes' path from the first confrontation until next Saturday (06).

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The first confrontation took place in UFC 245, in December 2019. The T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas (USA), hosted the Nigerian's first welterweight title defense. On the other side of the Octagon, there was the controversial North American, who lined up opponents as much as he collected disagreements outside the ring. After a very balanced duel, the 'Nigerian nightmare' knocked out his opponent in the fifth round and kept the belt in his possession.

Three fights, two opponents: The path of Kamaru Usman

Usman beat Masvidal in the UFC 251. Photo: Reproduction / Twitter @ufcespanol

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On the way to the rematch with Covington, another opponent also crossed the Nigerian's path twice: Jorge masvidal. In July 2020, in the main fight of UFC 251, which took place on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi (UAE), the champion defeated the then owner of the 'BMF' belt (more thick-skinned) calmly. With practically no scares during the fight, the title continued with Kamaru after the judges' unanimous decision.

In February 2021, Kamaru encountered a challenger who was not unknown. The Nigerian would measure forces against his former training partner, Gilbert Durinho. The friendly atmosphere prevailed during the week of the fight and the Brazilian even gave the champion a little trouble. But in the third round, Usman landed a straight shot that unbalanced the challenger, with the Brazilian athlete down, the 'Nigerian Nightmare' continued striking until the referee stopped him.

Just over two months after defeating Durinho, Usman was back in the world's most famous octagon. In a very questionable rematch, the Nigerian was faced with Jorge masvidal again. The North American provoked a lot during the week of the fight and said that the scenario of the fight, this time, would be different. The outcome of the fight was not the same, but in favor of the Nigerian. Still in the second round, Kamaru landed a beautiful cross and knocked out 'Gamebred' impressively.

Colby Covington: A Shorter Path

C.Covington only had one fight during the rematch Photo: Instagram/UFC

Different than Kamaru Usman, which remained active, Colby covington he has had just one fight in the last 23 months. In September 2020, 'Chaos' held the main fight of UFC Las Vegas 11 against former welterweight champion Tyron woodley. The fight was full of expectations but ended with an unusual ending: The 'Chosen One' suffered a leg injury during the fifth round and shouted for the fight to be ended.

Regardless of whether the journey was short or long, the fight will take place next Saturday (o6). Kamaru Usman e Colby covington will fight again for the 77,1kg belt. O UFC 268 will also feature another important rematch: for the strawweight title (up to 52,1kg), the champion Rose namajunas will try to avoid a new reign by Chinese Weilli Zhang.