"Kamaru Usman has been beating absolutely nobodies" - Colby Covington takes a jab at former best friend Jorge Masvidal

Colby Covington has downplayed Kamaru Usman's championship run and sideswiped rival Jorge Masvidal in the process.

The No. 1-ranked welterweight claimed he's unimpressed with the champion's recent performances as well as his challengers.

Usman surprised observers by showcasing a new dimension in his striking game. In what was a shock to many, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' bested Masvidal at his own game, shutting the lights out on 'Gamebred' in round two to retain the UFC welterweight title.

A rematch of one of the best title fights in UFC welterweight history CONFIRMED!Kamaru Usman will meet Colby Covington at #UFC268 in November, Dana White told ESPN.The UFC is gunning for the fight to be held at Madison Square Garden.PREVIEW 📝: https://t.co/vrthJWbUiY pic.twitter.com/gDSyRgzGtW
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) July 27, 2021

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But Colby Covington remains unimpressed. Appearing on Submission Radio ahead of his championship rematch with Usman, the former interim champ said:

"No one wants to talk about my evolution as a fighter. They just want to talk about how Marty (Kamaru Usman) is unbeatable. He's beating these lightweight scrubs. He's beating a guy who's been beaten up 10 years ago, my son, journeyman, fragile guy, 'Street Judas' Masvidal. I mean the guy is a bum."

Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman first crossed paths at UFC 245. The champion defended his crown after securing a fifth-round TKO. Since then, Usman has defended his title against Gilbert Burns and twice against Masvidal.

Covington, however, insists that Usman's challengers (presumably excluding himself) were not elite fighters. The number one contender added:

"He's been beating absolutely nobodies and they talk about his progression as a fighter. They haven't seen a glimpse of my evolution as a fighter. It was a walk in the park my last fight against Tyron Woodley and I didn't even show a glimpse of my evolution, it's been almost a year since then."

Catch Covington's full appearance on Submission Radio below:

Jorge Masvidal predicts the outcome of Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2

Former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal believes that the rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington will play out exactly how the first one went.

Shortly after his UFC 261 loss, 'Gamebred' spoke to Ariel Helwani to share his thoughts regarding a rematch between Usman and 'Chaos'.

"I think Kamaru keeps his hands up and comes to fight Colby the same fight that he did the first time," Masvidal said. "And just puts a thorough beating on him. Colby’s gonna try to get some takedowns on but it might not work as well.