MMA News Roundup: Dana White teases return of UFC welterweight star, Kamaru Usman confesses he's “relieved” after KO loss to Leon Edwards, Herb Dean claps back at Conor McGregor

Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.

In the latest issue, we talk about the return of a popular welterweight star work, Kamaru Usman's confession after dropping the UFC welterweight belt to Leon Edwards, and more.

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#3 Dana White confirms Colby Covington ready for comeback

Welterweight star Colby Covington

UFC president Dana White recently confirmed that former two-time welterweight title challenger Colby Covington is ready to fight again.

The last time Covington was in action was against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 in March. 'Chaos' emerged unscathed during their fight, but he claimed he suffered a brain injury after Jorge Masvidal allegedly ambushed him outside the octagon.

After months of inactivity from Covington, the UFC boss finally has an update regarding the No.3-ranked welterweight:

"Colby wants to fight," White said during the Contender Series presser. "Colby wants to fight, he's ready to fight and we're making plans for him here soon."

Watch the interview below:

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#2 Kamaru Usman tells UFC boss he's relieved after getting KO'd by Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards KO's Kamaru Usman [Photo credit: @ufc on Instagram]

Kamaru Usman's knockout loss to Leon Edwards was inarguably the biggest setback of his career, but Dana White revealed that the former champ ironically found relief in the loss.

Usman was on pace to tie Anderson Silva's record (16 fights) for the longest winning streak in the promotion's history. Unfortunately for 'The Nigerian Nightmare' came short of achieving the feat after he got KO'd in the fifth round.

However, White divulged the surprising confession Usman gave him after the fight. During the DWCS post-fight press conference, White said:

"Obviously, he wants the rematch bad. But, he said 'I can't tell you, the weight that's been lifted off me. There's a lot of pressure along with the run that he was on, tying and breaking Anderson's record. There is all that pressure."

Watch the interview below:

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#1 Referee Herb Dean responds to Conor McGregor's criticism

Herb Dean (L); Conor McGregor (R)

Conor McGregor recently suggested that MMA referees need to be more urgent in separating fighters in stale positions.

While referee Herb Dean acknowledged that McGregor's concerns were valid, he argued that the Irishman's "blanket statement" was inaccurate. During an interview with Helen Yee Sports, the veteran cage official said:

"Each position though and each situation is different. So sometimes you can't just make a balnket statement, just always quicker. But there is some truth and something to look at in what he's saying. Especially if it's happening again and you see no direction in it."

Watch the video below: