"The guy he just beat has 20 losses" - Colby Covington explains why Kamaru Usman didn't deserve No.1 P4P ranking

Colby Covington is not convinced that Kamaru Usman deserves to be in the No.1 spot in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.

'The Nigerian Nightmare' dethroned former longtime light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, from the rankings in September. However, according to Covington, his rival should not have vaulted to the top spot as his past few title defenses have been unimpressive. Speaking to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, Colby Covington said:

"I don't feel like that's a fair rating. How do beat you beat a guy in 'Street Judas' [Jorge] Masvidal? The guy has 20 losses. Look at the facts. We gotta go by facts these days. We can't go by anything else but the truth. You can't go by lies or hype or manipulation. The guy he just beat back-to-back has 20 losses. The guy's a journeyman. He's not even a top-tier fighter. So, I don't think beating a guy link that deserves of a No.1 pound-for-pound ranking.

After beating Covington in their first encounter at UFC 245, Usman went on to defend the UFC welterweight title against Gilbert Burns and twice against Jorge Masvidal.

Covington's main issue with Usman's status is that 50% of his title defenses have come against Jorge Masvidal – who 'Chaos' considers a journeyman. The title challenger also stated that Masvidal has 20 losses, though he only has 15.

What Covington failed to mention is that Usman surpassed octagon legend Georges St-Pierre's record for the longest winning streak in the UFC welterweight division. On top of that, Usman also sits in third place for the longest active winning streak of all time, only behind Jon Jones and Anderson Silva.

Watch Colby Covington's reaction to Kamaru Usman's ascent to P4P supremacy:

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Colby Covington promises an immediate trilogy bout against Kamaru Usman if he wins at UFC 268

Should Colby Covington capture the welterweight crown at UFC 268, he has vowed to "give the people what they want" and grant Kamaru Usman a trilogy bout. The No.1 contender said:

"I'm not gonna be a coward like Marty [Usman] and run from this rematch. He should've fought me and rematched me right away. The first time we fought, there was unfinished business. The people, the fans saw for themselves how close that fight was and that fight needed to be run back right away. But he refused it. He ran away, he didn't want a rematch. But you know what? I'm not gonna be a coward. I'm gonna give the people what they want. If they want this trilogy with me and Marty, you know, I'll do it right away."

Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2 will headline this weekend's UFC 268 pay-per-view event. The welterweights put on a competitive showdown the last time they fought in December 2019.