Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington Preview

The card is headlined by the welterweight title bout between heated rivals Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, who have made it crystal clear about their dislike for one another.

Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman (15-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC), riding on his 10 fight win streak, is the favourite to retain the welterweight gold. He was last seen in action back in March when he won the title from Tyron Woodley in dominating fashion. Usman, an NCAA Division II wrestler coupled with his massive gas tank, is a threat for any welterweight on the roster. Since making his debut in 2015, he’s been on a tear at 170. He has notable wins over top contenders Leon Edwards, Demian Maia, Dos Anjos. Usman likes to use his wrestling early on with good level changes and constant pressure tiring his opponents. The threat of a takedown looming over his opponents makes them more susceptible to his striking.

Colby Covington

Standing across the cage from him will be Colby Covington (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), who finally gets his shot at the real welterweight gold which has eluded him for quite some time now. Covington is cut from the same cloth – talent-wise. He carved his way through the division with the same style – overwhelming opponents with his phenomenal cardio and wrestling. He’s had his way with the other top welterweights in the division and left them in a pool of their own blood. His last fight was against the former champ Robbie Lawler and it was a one-sided affair as he landed over 200 strikes and 10 successful takedown attempts.

This fight is going to be as close as they come. Both the fighters have identical MMA records, similar styles, have gone the distance 8 times and have 7 stoppage victories. Usman’s only loss was a submission to Alex Cacares who incidentally Colby beat via UD, on the other hand, Colby’s sole loss is also by submission to Alves who, it turns out Usman beat by UD. If anything, this further underlines how close the fight is going to be. With such similar skill sets, it all comes down to their striking.

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