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Kamaru Usman Colby Covington
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman reacted to longtime rival Colby Covington’s recent exit from the UFC.
Covington retired from the UFC earlier this week and was removed from the roster as a result of his decision to hang up his gloves. The retirement came as a surprise, as despite Covington not having fought since December 2024, he is still competing in wrestling for RAF, so he’s an active athlete. But clearly, he still held a grudge against the UFC for not putting him on the White House card, and he decided to step away from the organization, partly as a result of it.
Speaking on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with co-host Henry Cejudo, Usman was asked his thoughts on Covington’s retirement. The two had a long-standing rivalry inside the Octagon, famously fighting twice at UFC 245 and UFC 268, with Usman winning both fights. So if there’s anyone to ask about Covington leaving the UFC, it’s Usman.
“Covington has not been getting that frequency of activity, it’s not that he can’t compete, because we know he can compete. Because he’s competing at RAF and he’s doing pretty well,” Usman said.
🤔Kamaru Usman thinks Colby Covington retired because he had a disagreement with the UFC
“Covington has not been getting that frequency of activity, it’s not that he can’t compete, because we know he can compete. Because he’s competing at RAF and he’s doing pretty well”
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While Covington is now retired and gone from the UFC, Usman is still on the roster. There are strong rumors that he will return this summer at UFC Oklahoma City and fight Dricus Du Plessis in a middleweight bout, with a win in that fight putting him one step closer to earning a rematch against UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, whom he previously defeated in the welterweight division.
As Usman mentioned, Covington is currently competing in RAF, where he is 2-0 with wins over Luke Rockhold and Dillon Danis. He next has a wrestling match booked against former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
However, despite his apparent retirement from MMA, there is certainly room for him to be lured back into the sport.
We know that MVP MMA has a lot of money and just did a massive show on Netflix, with 17 million people globally tuning in for that event. So there is certainly an opportunity there for Covington, who, whether you love him or hate him, is a big name who fans want to tune in and see fight. If MVP MMA runs another event, as they are expected to do, they would be wise to reach out to Covington and see if there is a place on the roster for him to compete on their card.
While he may be upset right now at the UFC for now booking him for the White House card, time heals all. After Covington takes some time off to cool down from everything that’s happened to him the last few years, you can expect him to want to compete in MMA again. After all, he’s only 38, so he’s not super old or anything. He may technically be a retired fighter right now, but like many retired MMA fighters do, don’t be surprised if he fights again.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
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