Chael Sonnen believes Colby Covington's claim of UFC threatening to strip Kamaru Usman was just 'good storytelling'

Chael Sonnen (left), Colby Covington (right) [Credits: @colbycovmma via Instagram]

Chael Sonnen recently disputed Colby Covington's statement about the UFC threatening to strip welterweight champion Kamaru Usman from his title.

'The Bad Guy' stated that Covington's claims were just fiction.

He said:

"Colby [Covington] came out and said the only reason that Usman took this fight is that the UFC threatened to strip him. Now that's another one that at first glance I'm going to assume that we got some very good storytelling going on. I'm only going to assume that because, how would Colby know? Whether Dana [White] is doing this deal directly, Mick [Maynard] or Sean [Selby] is doing it, they're never going to tell you what they told the other side, never!"

Watch Chael Sonnen's take on the situation below:

In an interview with ESPN MMA, Colby Covington claimed that the UFC warned Kamaru Usman that they would strip his belt if he did not accept the rematch fight with 'Chaos'.

Covington and Usman have shared a distasteful history since 2018. They first squared off at UFC 245 in 2019 when Kamaru Usman finished Colby Covington via TKO in the fifth round.

SILENCED. 🤫

@Usman84kg HAS FINISHED COLBY COVINGTON! #UFC245 🏆

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Kamaru Usman refuted Colby Covington's claims; said he was laughing at 'Chaos'

In a recent conversation with Daniel Cormier on his YouTube channel, Kamaru Usman stated that Colby Covington's claims were wrong.

He explained that he took the Covington rematch because he wanted to defeat the American for a second time.

“How they gonna take the belt? I think I’m the only champ who fought two times already this year. I’m not sure. But I believe I’m the only champ... I chose to take this fight because… there’s something you feel when you get into a certain fight to where you lose yourself in the fight, that you’re just having fun... I [was] smiling. I was never tired at all... I’m laughing at him. I’m talking to him. I’m calling him [in the fight at UFC 245]... And there’s something about when I got done with [the fight], I was like, ‘Wow, that was fun.’ I got hit a lot. I know I can’t get in these many fights that often because, of course, I gotta protect my health. But that was fun. I would love to do that one more time."

Watch Kamaru Usman's full interview below:

Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington will meet inside the octagon for the second time at UFC 268 on November 6. The fight will be Usman's fifth welterweight title defense.

Kamaru Usman will meet Colby Covington in a welterweight title rematch at UFC 268 in November, Dana White told @bokamotoESPN.

The date and location are not finalized yet, but UFC is hoping for the fight to headline Madison Square Garden. https://t.co/nqVAjgogO4