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What's the story?
The UFC's welterweight division seems to be in an odd fix with three of its top listers - Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman - fighting for the gold spot. UFC president Dana White recently confessed that regardless of Woodley's availability, Usman will be competing for the title at UFC 235.
Since then, the three welterweight giants have taken matters to social media forums to conclude the debate.
In case you didn't know...
The TUF 28 Finale witnessed a dominant performance by 'The Nigerian Nightmare' Kamaru Usman as he emphatically beat Rafael dos Anjos during their main event welterweight bout. Following this victory, Dana White seemed to be backing the Nigerian-American in his cause to run side by side with Colby Covington for the UFC's welterweight title.
Covington last competed in the Octagon in an interim-welterweight title fight against Rafael dos Anjos, at UFC 225, which took place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. After that Covington was favored to be next in line for the title, but the injuries he sustained in the fight against Dos Anjos forced the 'Chaos' to reconsider this desire.
Covington's inability to fight pushed the UFC to arrange a title fight between Tyron Woodley and Darren Till for UFC 228, on 9th September 2018. Woodley emerged victorious after submitting Till in just the second round of the fight, making it seem like a fight with Covington would inevitably be next.
The heart of the matter
Soon after his victory over Till at UFC 228, Woodley underwent surgery on his thumb and claimed to be unavailable to defend his title until next year. Covington and Woodley have been going back and forth since Woodley's last win, which suggested that a fight between the pair was just a matter of time.
However, after Kamaru Usman's recent impressive run against Dos Anjos in the TUF 28 Finale, Dana White is willingly pushing for the possibility of his title shot at UFC's upcoming UFC 235 event.
Early this Thursday, on 27th December 2018, Woodley, Covington and Usman waged war on social media as they tried to defend their place in the welterweight division. The bickering was initiated by champion Woodley, who had the following to say about Covington:
Covington did not take this allegation by Woodley too well, and replied by saying:
Usman soon joined the battle, showing no signs of hesitation in making his thoughts clear. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' tweeted the following in response to the situation:
What's next?
Welterweight champion Woodley's,lack of periodic availability to defend his title in the Octagon seems to be a serious concern as far as Dana White is concerned. The president of the UFC recently professed that he would ensure Usman's attendance at UFC 235 for a title shot, regardless of the availability of Woodley or Covington.
What are your thoughts on the current situation of the UFC's welterweight division? Be sure to express your opinions in the comments section below!
