"He's very, very quiet by Colby standards" - Chael Sonnen discusses why Colby Covington hasn't been vocal ahead of title fight against Kamaru Usman
Chael Sonnen has weighed in on Colby Covington's relative lack of media appearances ahead of his rematch against Kamaru Usman.
In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Sonnen indicated that Colby Covington is laser-focused on preparing for his rematch, which is why he hasn't promoted the fight. 'The American Gangster' stated:
“And I’m noticing with Colby, specifically. He’s very, very quiet by Colby standards. What can we gain from that? Well, without question, we can gain a laser focus. Without question, we can gain that Colby understands this is his last shot, at least as long as Usman stays champion. Much like [Jorge] Masvidal, great guys who could make it back to the top again; they will never get that opportunity if Usman is the champion. You beat a guy once, you don’t have to fight him twice. You beat a guy twice, you damn sure don’t have to fight him a third time. So, when you have these opportunities, you’ve got to make the most of them.”
Sonnen also said he expects Colby Covington to resume talking trash in around two weeks.
“I think Colby is laying low in his new training situation, not doing as much media, he will deliver for us the week of the fight. He will deliver. In about two weeks, you’ll start hearing from Colby again. But you’ll remember the times when Stipe Miocic locked down. You’ll remember the times that Conor McGregor locked down. Go back a little bit, there was a guy named Ricco Rodriguez, who absolutely locked down. And these guys that have that type of focus and that type of understanding as to what’s on the line could only guess – all of us have to guess ‘cause we’re never going to have the level of success in athletics that Usman is experiencing right now.”
Speaking about Kamaru Usman's motivations going into the rematch, Sonnen suggested that any fighter is likely to be less motivated to fight the same opponent a second time. Nevertheless, Sonnen said fans would have to wait and see whether Usman has that "super-ability" to be motivated.
Watch Chael Sonnen’s remarks in the video below:
Will Colby Covington be the first fighter to defeat Kamaru Usman inside the octagon?
Kamaru Usman retained his belt the first time he fought Colby Covington. He defeated 'Chaos' via a fifth-round TKO on the headliner of UFC 245.
Usman has just one loss on his professional MMA record. He lost to Jose Caceres at CFA 11 in May 2013. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is unbeaten in the UFC.
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Colby Covington has the opportunity to capture the undisputed UFC welterweight title and earn the distinction of being the first fighter to defeat Usman inside the octagon. Their much-awaited rematch will take place at UFC 268 on November 6th, 2021.