"Nobody can keep up with the pace of Colby Covington" - Daniel Cormier points out that Kamaru Usman not only matched but outdid Covington's pace in their first fight
Colby Covington is scheduled to fight Kamaru Usman in a much anticipated rematch at UFC 268. Daniel Cormier has now weighed in on the upcoming welterweight title fight.
According to the former two-division UFC champion, nobody can usually keep up with Colby Covington's pace. However, while 'Chaos' has picked fighters apart with his pressure, Cormier noted that he was outclassed by Kamaru Usman in their first outing.
'DC' also questioned what took the rematch between Usman and Covington so long to come to fruition. Cormier recently told Ryan Clark on an episode of DC & RC:
"Nobody can keep up with the pace of Colby Covington. We have seen him melt so many individuals inside the octagon with his pace and his pressure. Usman was able to withstand that. And not only withstand that but take it to the next level. But when Covington says it's been difficult to get this rematch... We thought we would have seen these two fight a long time ago. So I wonder what it took for Colby to find himself locked in the octagon with Usman again in New York City. You can see the relief that he feels knowing that he has to fight again."
Watch Daniel Cormier's comments on the DC & RC podcast below:
Colby Covington reveals reason behind the delay of the rematch
Colby Covington lost his title shot against Kamaru Usman at UFC 245 via fifth-round TKO. While 'Chaos' rallied for an immediate rematch, Usman went on to fight Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal.
With the rematch finally scheduled for November 6, Covington has revealed the reason behind the delay. According to Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman was trying to duck him by all means and only agreed to the rematch when the UFC threatened to strip him off the title. Covington recently told ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto:
“It’s been tough. It wasn’t supposed to happen. They did not want it to happen. His manager, they were refusing. They were trying to find every way in the book out of fighting this rematch. They didn’t want this fight man, and the only reason they have to take it is the UFC gave him no choice. They said, ‘Hey, you fight this fighter or we just strip you, it’s one or the other. You’ve got to come out and prove you’re the best in the world.' There needs to be no controversies surrounding this fight, so it’s been tough."
Watch Colby Covington's interview with ESPN MMA below: