"Go out there, get a couple of wins"- Kamaru Usman lists fighters Colby Covington needs to beat to get a trilogy fight
Kamaru Usman has identified the things Colby Covington must do before he is given a chance to face him for a third time.
The two welterweights have met twice in the octagon, with the Nigerian coming out on top on both occasions. 'Chaos' is certain he should have got his hand raised in their rematch and remains eager to run it back with the 170-pound champion.
When asked what Colby Covington must do in order to secure a trilogy fight with him during an interview with ESPN MMA, Kamaru Usman listed a bunch of fighters who the contender has to beat.
"Right now, it [the trilogy fight] doesn't make sense. Go out there and sell yourself... There's a couple more fights you need to take on. You haven't fought Gilbert Burns, you haven't fought Vicente Luque, you haven't fought [Khamzat] Chimaev."
The welterweight king continued to give advice to his two-time challenger, assuring him of what will earn him another shot at UFC gold.
"Yeah, go out there and get a couple of wins and then continue to sell yourself and then you can stick that claim to where people won't deny you... Beat a couple more guys and shut those contenders down because right now, somebody can leap frog you."
Despite their heated rivalry, both Usman and Colby Covington have mutual respect for one another. Their wrestling background and improved striking made their two fights instant classics and with them still growing in the sport, we can expect their third fight to be the best one yet.
Check out what Kamaru Usman had to say about Colby Covington below:
What's next for Kamaru Usman?
Although talk of a move over to boxing to face Canelo Alvarez has emerged, Kamaru Usman is still intending to defend his welterweight strap for as long as he's in the sport.
Having beaten four of the top seven contenders in his division, there remain just a handful of new challengers for the champion to face. The winner of the upcoming fight between Belal Muhammad and Vicente Luque looks destined to stake their claim for a title shot, but Leon Edwards appears set to be the next to step up to the plate.
While he has already defeated the Englishman once in his career, Usman will be facing a completely new beast when he comes face-to-face with Edwards, who is unbeaten in his last 10 fights.
The dangerous Khamzat Chimaev is another possible opponent for the champ. If the Chechen-born Swede continues his domination, he will be quickly approaching a shot at UFC gold.
If 'Borz' can get past top-three contender Gilbert Burns next month, he'll likely be within touching distance of a championship opportunity.