Colby Covington eyes payback vs Kamaru Usman in UFC 268

MANILA, Philippines – As of Wednesday, it has been 699 days since Colby Covington lost his UFC welterweight title fight with reigning champion Kamaru Usman. By the time UFC 268 gets underway at Madison Square Garden on November 6, it will be 702 days.

Covington had been dreaming of and plotting his redemption against his rival Usman, who defeated him via technical knockout during UFC 245 on December 14, 2019.

“I’ve been thinking about getting my redemption day and night non-stop,” Covington told Philstar.com on Wednesday morning. “Training camp is going great. I switched camps two years ago and I feel better than ever. There’s a new energy about me. I anticipate putting on the best fight of my career as I am healthy and I have no injuries going into this fight.” 

Since June 2020, Covington has worked with MMA Masters in Miami and trained under the tutelage of Daniel Valverde, Cesar Carneiro and Jonathan Lopez, who have worked on his fighting style. 

“The biggest difference in the way I fight now is the way I move my feet and head and the way I react,” explained Covington. “What my new coaches have done is make me understand timing, and fighting is a lot about timing. I didn’t have that before as it was always about bringing pressure to the opponent. So it’s timing and reflexes. You’ll see Colby Covington 2.0 roll out on Saturday.”

While Usman has fought twice since their heated match, Covington has only seen action once — a win over Tyron Woodley in a fight that was two years in the making. 

“I only fought in September last year. There was no one to fight me,” explained Colby who wore a cap with the letters “FDNY” emblazoned in front — a tribute to New York City’s firefighters. “I was supposed to fight Jorge Masvidal, my former roommate and club mate with America Top Team, but he refused to fight me.”

“The UFC tried to put Masvidal and me in the Ultimate Fighter and on pay-per-view, but he still refused. If the UFC would give me a fight every month I would love it. It sucks that I haven’t been able to fight but what better way to come back than fight Usman.”

“I have been driven by vengeance and revenge and you know what they say about revenge being a dish best served cold. I’ll have my revenge on Saturday night,” promised Covington. 

Gaining revenge on Usman, who broke Covington’s face during their first meeting, would mean a lot to Covington, who since his high school wrestling days has fought to prove the naysayers wrong.

“Since high school, I have fought against the odds,” he reflected back on his mixed martial arts journey. “They said I wasn’t good enough to wrestle in college but I won a national championship. They also said I couldn’t be a pro fighter but I did and went up the ranks. Now, they say the odds are stacked against me against Marty (Usman’s nickname) but they can throw all those numbers out when we go mano-a-mano on Saturday.”

“It would mean everything to me to win the UFC Welterweight Championship,” Covington pointed out. “I feel the referee (Marc Goddard who officiated their first fight) was getting him breaks by stopping during the match that in turn stopped my pace. So I will have my vengeance and fulfill a lifelong dream for me. And in Madison Square Garden no less!”

Who performed there? The Rolling Stones. Muhammad Ali. Hulk Hogan. And now, all rock stars. Hall of Famers in their respective fields. And world champions. Come UFC 268, Colby Covington will put on a show in this most iconic venue for champions.”

UFC 268 will be shown on Premier Sports on Sky Cable and Cignal as well as the Tap Go app.