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Colby Covington may have suffered a major TKO defeat to his bitter rival Kamaru Usman at UFC 245, but his performance left no doubt as to who was the second-best Welterweight in the world.
His stock has risen after his incredible performance against Kamaru Usman, where he took The Nigerian Nightmare all the way until the end - putting him through far more adversity than most opponents before him.
Given the nature of the grudge rivalry, it was clear as to why the two men didn't shake hands afterwards. Covington wasn't happy with the stoppage, but the general consensus has been that Marc Goddard ended the fight at the right time as Covington didn't appear to be "intelligently defending himself" as he should have.
One name who was surprisingly full of praise for Colby Covington is the Dominance MMA CEO and Usman's manager Ali Abdelaziz. While Abdelaziz had been against Covington for the things he said, all of the negativity seems to have faded away after The Nigerian Nightmare put Covington away. Abdelaziz tweeted out, saying:
In case you're not aware, Abdelaziz has many high-profile clients, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, Kelvin Gastelum, Justin Gaethje, Cody Garbrandt, Frankie Edgar, and more.
It's going to be interesting to see what's next for Usman and Covington. Kamaru Usman would likely want Jorge Masvidal, but has recently praised his old opponent Leon Edwards, who currently sits at #4.
Dana White said that he would be interested in seeing Covington vs Tyron Woodley next, but it's unlikely to happen immediately as Covington has a 180-day medical suspension. Who would you like to see Colby Covington face next?
Should Kamaru Usman defend the UFC Welterweight Championship against Jorge Masvidal or Leon Edwards? Voice your thoughts in the comments below!
