UFC 245: Kamaru Usman Says Colby Covington’s “Trying to Make Excuses” For “Why” He’s Going to Lose

Colby Covington has become one of the most disliked fighters in MMA, and recently “Chaos” discussed why he took steps to become just that. But, according to Kamaru Usman, Covington’s recent comments indicate that “Chaos” is already preparing to lose to the welterweight champ at UFC 245.

Covington’s recent comments about “Chaos”

In the last couple of years, Covington has grabbed plenty of headlines as a result of key wins, as well as inflammatory and controversial remarks (like calling Brazilian fans “filthy animals”). In a recent interview “Chaos” did with Candace Owens, Covington revealed that before he fought Demian Maia in 2017, the UFC had let his team know that they weren’t going to resign him. As a result, Covington decided to start slinging verbal jabs (quote via MMA Junkie):

“…They didn’t like my style. They didn’t like that I wasn’t entertaining, and this is before I really started to become an entertainer and understand the entertainment aspect of this business. So before this fight, they told me no matter what happens – I was ranked No. 6 in the world – we’re not re-signing you.

“‘We don’t like your character. We don’t like your fighting style.’ And I’m getting paid $30,000 to go fight the No. 2 guy in the world. Like, after you pay taxes and pay your coaches, you’re really going to get like five or 10 thousand dollars. So I go out there. I beat him up and leave him in a pool of his own blood in Sao Paulo, Brazil, his home city, and I shoot this promo on the Brazilians, and I say, ‘Hey, you guys are all a bunch of filthy animals, and, Brazil, you’re a dump.’”

Usman’s take

On Wednesday, the UFC held an event where Megan Olivi spoke with many of the main card competitors for UFC 245. While talking with Usman, and about the comments Covington made in the aforementioned interview,  the welterweight champ said this (quote via MMA Junkie):

“This is him trying to make excuses why he’s going to get his ass kicked on Saturday night,” Usman said. “He’s already come out and said, ‘Oh, this is just an act.’ I don’t give a (expletive). He came out and said, ‘They were going to cut me, so it’s just an act.’ You (expletive) nerd. It doesn’t matter. After you get your ass kicked you can do whatever you want to do. I don’t care.”

Now, does Usman have a point? Maybe, as many people have argued that if Covington loses on Saturday, his bombastic, inflammatory approach likely won’t land  any longer. So, the timing of the comments are interesting.

That said, you could also question just how long Covington intends to act this way, win or lose on Saturday. His delivery has often been labelled as cringe worthy, regardless of what he’s actually saying, and you would think sooner or later, people just aren’t going to react, positively or negatively. Nearly every act gets old no?