Kamaru Usman has looked unstoppable in his last few fights. Though fans have criticized Usman a lot in the past his knockout wins over Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns have made him a fan favorite.
Kamaru Usman has beaten almost every single top contender in the division. And right now there are not many fighters at the top of the UFC welterweight division who can make a argument that he can beat the Nigerian Nightmare except Colby Covington.
Colby Covington came very close to beating Kamaru Usman on their first encounter. Though Usman got the TKO finish in the fifth round there were some controversies surrounding the fight.
Nevertheless, it was still one of the best title fights in UFC history. And the fans have been waiting for a rematch for a long time. And if we look at the current top welterweights in the UFC Colby Covington might be the one who can beat Usman and even Khabib Nurmagomedov agrees with that notion.
In a recent interview, Khabib Nurmagomedov opened up about Colby Covington and stated:
“You may not like him. But he is an extremely tough man. He is the hardest fight Usman can get.”
Can Colby Covington beat Kamaru Usman in the rematch?
Though the first fight between Covington and Usman was close a lot of things have changed since then. Kamaru Usman, who was a dominant wrestler when he fought Covington, is now a champion who is knocking out the contenders viciously.
Kamaru Usman handed Jorge Masvidal the first knock out loss of his career. Usman training with Trevor Whittman has certainly improved his striking a lot and Colby Covington can expect a much improved version of Usman in the rematch.
On the other hand, Colby Covington has fought only once since the loss to Usman. Though he looked impressive against Tyron Woodley he has not been as active as Usman and that can be a big factor in the rematch.
It’s hard to debate against Khabib’s statement about Covington but it’s very likely that Kamaru Usman will beat Colby Covington in the rematch.