Kamaru Usman's manager picks between Nate Diaz and Colby Covington for the next title fight
Kamaru Usman's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, believes Nate Diaz is more deserving than Colby Covington to compete for the UFC welterweight title.
The renowned MMA manager, who has never held himself back from ridiculing Colby Covington, thinks 'Chaos' should not be considered the No.1 contender in the welterweight division owing to his inactivity.
Despite Diaz not being a ranked welterweight, Abdelaziz favors him over Covington to be Kamaru Usman's next challenger.
"Nate over Colby all day," Abdelaziz wrote on Twitter.
Diaz recently fought Leon Edwards at UFC 263. The Stockton native lost the bout via unanimous decision, but almost pulled off an upset in the final round of the fight.
Meanwhile, Edwards has extended his undefeated streak to ten. The Englishman's previous loss occurred in December 2015 against Usman. He has since racked up nine huge wins and is likely to contend for the welterweight title in his next outing.
The animosity between Ali Abdelaziz and Colby Covington
Ali Abdelaziz's distaste towards Colby Covington is no secret. The two almost came to blows at the Palms Casino Resort in 2019 when Usman was scheduled to face 'Chaos' at UFC 245.
Although Abdelaziz later claimed that former United States President Donald Trump acted as a mediator in squashing his beef with Covington, it appears that they haven't yet resolved their differences.
During an interview with MMA Junkie, Abdelaziz explained why Covington is not a deserving candidate to challenge Usman.
"Colby is not the no. 1 contender. He's not near the no. 1 contender. You can't just win over Woodley and get a title shot, and the champ has fought three times. He's the no. 6 contender, maybe, or the no. 6 pretender. Because Colby Covington doesn't like to fight. Colby Covington like to do interviews and cash in on some sponsors. He doesn't like to fight. Last time he fought, you saw what Kamaru Usman did to him. And this is gonna happen to him again," said Abdelaziz.
However, contrary to Abdelaziz's assertion, UFC president Dana White has made it clear that Covington is set to fight Usman in a rematch.