Kamaru Usman says other welterweights must go through Colby Covington before facing him

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman believes contenders need to beat Colby Covington before getting a title shot.

Throughout the course of UFC history we’ve seen some great rivalries take place across multiple divisions but in the modern era, there are few that have been as entertaining as Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington.

The two have fought twice thus far at UFC 245 and UFC 268 with Usman coming out on top on both occasions. A lot of fans expected their encounters to be quite wrestling heavy but it was quite the opposite, as the foes put together some incredible striking duels that will stand the test of time for many years to come.

Covington is still deciding what his next move is going to be after seeing off the challenge of Jorge Masvidal in March but as per ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, he thinks that those pushing for a shot at the strap need to go through ‘Chaos’ before getting a crack at the king.

“It’s relatively close, there’s a lot of guys right there in that division. You’ve got Belal Muhammad is there, you’ve got [Khamzat] Chimaev is there, Covington is still there – holding that door strong!”

“Covington is standing right in front of that door. For anyone to really get through, they need to go through him. He’s proven that he can beat everybody else, but he just can’t beat me. So, for you to prove that you can fight for the title, I think he needs to go through that guy, but at the end of the day, I’m gonna keep running through these guys until I’m bored. Whoever is next, is next.”

While fans will have to wait for his hand to heal, Kamaru Usman confirmed in the same interview that he’s gearing up for a showdown with Leon Edwards later this year.

It’s been a long time coming for ‘Rocky’ to get his rematch with