Colby Covington will finally get his shot at the undisputed UFC welterweight title.
UFC president Dana White confirmed on Tuesday that Covington will be the next to face Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title. While an exact date or location has not yet been announced, White said Covington will fight Usman later this year.
While Covington's brazen personality has made him a villain in the UFC, his lopsided win over former champion Robbie Lawler earlier this month at UFC Newark sealed the title fight for him, according to White.
“That’s why I put Covington on ESPN against a guy like Lawler,” White told reporters following the Contender Series on Tuesday.
“You can say whatever you want about Covington, you don’t like him, you don’t this, that, or whatever — he put on a clinic against Lawler, who is a beast. Lawler’s been in all the big fights, former world champion, hits like a truck and Colby completely shut him down. His cardio was impressive and the way that he beat Lawler was even more impressive."
Covington
dominated Lawler for five rounds, throwing over 500 strikes and attempting 20 takedowns. His aggressive approach propelled him to a unanimous decision win over Lawler (50-44, 50-45, 50-45).
Covington won the UFC interim welterweight title in June 2018, defeating Rafael dos Anjos by unanimous decision. However, he was stripped of the belt when he was unable to face then-champion Tyron Woodley three months later. Covington would ultimately end up sitting out for over a year waiting for a chance to fight for the title. But in March of this year, Kamaru Usman soundly defeated Woodley to win the welterweight belt.
Covington immediately called out Usman following his win over Lawler and the two jawed back-and-forth on ESPN post-fight.
Covington being the next to fight for the title puts Jorge Masvidal in a tough position as he was also vying for a shot at the belt. After two impressive knockouts over Darren Till and Ben Askren, Masvidal had put himself in position to also challenge Usman. Masvidal has called for fights against either Usman or superstar Conor McGregor, but White made it clear that he will not cater to his demands.
“You can’t make ultimatums,” White said about Masvidal.
“Listen, we’re going to offer him a fight, and if he accepts the fight, he does and if he doesn’t, he doesn’t.”