Colby Covington wants an immediate rematch against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Speaking to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Covington said it was "world championship or bust" for him.
While he is open to the possibility of a big money fight, he doesn't believe the UFC will offer that to him. In that case, he's willing to sit out until he gets another shot at Usman.
"I'm fighting for a world championship or I might not ever fight again," Covington said.
"We'll see."
Covington also revealed that he didn't break his jaw during the fight, even though the UFC reported that night that he had "suffered a non-displaced mandible fracture." The UFC broadcast also picked up audio of Covington telling his corner between rounds three and four that he had broken his jaw. Covington believes that audio made its way to Usman, giving the champion confidence heading into the late rounds. Covington was ahead on the judges' scorecards up until that point.
"That kind of information gets out real quickly," Covington said.
"It's just not fair, man. They need to run this back."
Usman went on to drop Covington twice with right hands in the fifth and after a barrage of ground strikes, referee Marc Goddard stepped in and called a stop to the fight. Covington maintains that Usman was illegally hitting him in the back of the head during the fight-stopping sequence.
"If [the fight] is not run back, it's a very corrupt business and it's a fix," Covington said. UFC president Dana White said last week that the promotion
is targeting a July title fight between Usman and Jorge Masvidal next. To that, Covington said Usman is simply looking for
"an easier fight that he has a legitimate chance to win."
"He's a fake, he's a cheat, he's a coward," Covington said of Usman.
"He has no integrity. ... If I don't get my rematch, you did the people wrong."