"They need to go through him" - Kamaru Usman says Colby Covington is "holding the door" for welterweight division
Kamaru Usman addressed the status of the welterweight division, stating that every fighter who wants a title shot must go through Colby Covington first.
The reigning UFC welterweight champion was present at the Eagle FC 47 Pre - Fight press conference, where he talked about his health, division status, and potential crossover bout against Canelo Alvarez.
Usman said that Covington proved that he can beat anybody else but him, and if someone has a title fight on their mind, they must go through ‘Chaos’ first.
Kamaru Usman said:
"There’s a lot of guys right there in that top of the division, you know… Belal Muhammad is there… Chimaev is there… Covington is still there, holding that door strong, you know… At this point, you know, Covington is standing right in front of that door… They need to go through him, because he's proven that he can beat anybody else, but just can’t beat me."
Watch Kamaru Usman talk about Covington at 5:25 in the video below:
Usman stated that he will go through everyone until he gets bored with it.
Colby Covington fought Kamaru Usman on two different occasions. They met for the first time at UFC 245 in Usman’s first title defense. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was albe to defeat him with a TKO finish in the final stages of the fifth round.
The second fight took place at UFC 268 with Usman winning once again, but this time it was by unanimous decision.
The Nigerian fighter has defended his title five times and has been undefeated since 2013.
Kamaru Usman on his mindset while fighting in the cage
The Nigerian fighter feels like he is getting bigger and stronger as the fight day approaches. However, the sensation of fear is also no stranger to him.
During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the reigning UFC welterweight champion talked about his mindset when fighting in the cage. He used Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson as an example of how scary fights can be.
Kamaru Usman said:
"It's scary as hell. It’s very, very scary. And I can’t by me…. Putting it into the words just doesn’t do it justice. Got it to the feeling… If you think about what Michael Chandler did this last weekend, think about that… you’re afraid of that guy. You’ve signed the contract that you’re potentially gonna get your a** whooped, on this date."
Kamaru Usman said that the awareness of an upcoming fight pushes fighters through training, as they do everything they can to prepare for it. Then fight day comes and that means entering a cage and being scared of your opponent.
However, some fighters, including Usman, grow bigger the closer they get to fight day:
"For guys like myself, as you get closer, this alpha, this giant, this lion… this god-like figure per se starts to grow and grow and grow…. Then I pray for myself and I pray for that guy… And I look at this guy and I start to feel bad for this guy."
Watch Kamaru Usman talk about his mindset in the clip below:
"As you get closer to the octagon this alpha, giant, lion, this god like figure starts to grow.. I step in there & I know this is my fucking domain" ~@USMAN84kg
#PMSLive https://t.co/6pZcVJjULZ
The Nigerian stated that the adreline that takes over his body is better than any other drug you can take.