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Dana White has confirmed that the UFC is working on finalizing Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington 2 for the next welterweight title fight. Usman recently scored a stunning knockout win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 to secure the fourth successful defense of his title. The champion has stated his intention to defend his title at least two more times in 2021.
In a recent interview with Adam Catterall of BT Sport, Dana White revealed that he was going to meet Kamaru Usman and talk about his plans. White did not confirm the bout or share a timeline for the potential rematch with Colby Covington. However, he had put Covington's name in the mix in the lead-up to UFC 261 and announced him as the next challenger to the title if Usman defeated Masvidal.
"I have dinner with Usman tonight... I don't know what has he got on his mind or whatever. He wanted to get together and talk... Usman vs Covington is one of the greatest fights I've ever seen in my life. It is an incredible fight," Dana White said.
Kamaru Usman (19-1 MMA, 14-0 UFC) and Colby Covington (16-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) last competed against each other at UFC 245 in December 2019. The bout was predicted to be a stalemate as both fighters possessed high grappling pedigree. To the surprise of many, it turned out to be a grueling striking battle where neither fighter attempted a takedown. Usman won the back-and-forth fight via fifth-round TKO to retain his title.
Usman has since defeated Jorge Masvidal (twice) and Gilbert Burns while Covington defeated former champion Tyron Woodley in September 2020. Colby Covington turned out to be the first and the only formidable challenge of Kamaru Usman's UFC career. The Nigerian Nightmare has won every other UFC fight quite comfortably.
Kamaru Usman wants to have an active 2021
Kamaru Usman made a quick turnaround after defeating Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 and fought Jorge Masvidal less than three months after the fight. Intent on making another quick turnaround, the champ recently offered to fight No. 6 ranked Michael Chiesa at UFC 263. However, the prospect of that fight does not seem to have intrigued the UFC brass.
In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Kamaru Usman revealed that he considered stepping up to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 262 on two weeks' notice. Edwards' original opponent Nate Diaz was forced out of the bout due to an injury.
