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Kamaru Usman has laid out conditions based on which he would be willing to give Colby Covington a rematch for the UFC welterweight title. The reigning 170-lbs champion claimed he needed to see more activity from Covington whilst also stating that a win over Tyron Woodley wasn't enough for a rematch.
During an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Kamaru Usman said that this time around, the onus is on Covington to show the reigning champion and the people why he deserves a shot at the UFC welterweight title next. Usman said:
"I mean, I want to see activity and he's not showing activity. That's a problem. The champion can be the most active guy in the division because like I said, I've lapped everybody and I'm coming back around and you just can't sit there and say, 'Oh well, pick me, pick me, pick me'. Show me activity, give me something, give me a reason. It's not necessarily me, I know what I'm capable of doing, I've done it before. You can ask his jaw, I've done that before. Now it's for him to show the people that he deserves another chance to fight for the title and you can't sit back and say, 'Oh I beat Tyron Woodley. That's it, I deserve a shot at the title'. No, that doesn't give you a shot at the title."
Kamaru Usman also added that if the UFC needed him to take on the mantle, he would do the job of matchmaking in the welterweight division. The reigning UFC welterweight champion stated that he would be totally open to fighting the winner of the fights he makes. Usman continued:
"If you look at it, I can matchmake if the UFC needs me to command. I can matchmake for them and just basically, 'Okay this guy fights this guy, this guy fights this guy. Winner this, I'll fight, winner of this one can wait and I'll fight them next'. So if the UFC needs me to do that, I will absolutely do that."
Kamaru Usman beat Colby Covington at UFC 245
Kamaru Usman finished Colby Covington via TKO in the fifth round of their classic welterweight title fight in the main event of UFC 245. Since that fight, Covington has beaten Tyron Woodley and is gunning for a shot at the UFC welterweight title once again.
However, Usman will defend the belt against Jorge Masvidal in a rematch at the upcoming UFC 261 pay-per-view.
