"Undeniably" - Kamaru Usman contends that Colby Covington outshines Leon Edwards in star power, despite not holding the championship
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has shared his thoughts on Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington, which is set to headline the UFC 296 card.
'The Nigerian Nightmare' recently made an appearance on the DC & RC show. He was stepping in for Ryan Clark, who was not hosting the show due to personal reasons. During his time there, Daniel Cormier asked the 36-year-old to pick the fighter with the bigger star power between Edwards and 'Chaos'.
The former UFC welterweight champion responded by naming Covington as the bigger name in the MMA world among the two welterweights. The 36-year-old added that Chaos' ability to evoke a reaction out of people differentiated him from the other athletes.
"100 percent Covington. Undeniably, it's Colby Covington because of what he's able to do. If I'm in a room with Leon Edwards... Leon can be on the opposite side of the room and I'll be on the opposite side of the room an everything will be just fine. But if Colby Covington is on the opposite side of the room and I'm on the opposite side of the room, everybody in-between in that room is nervous... So undeniably, when you have that, when you are able to make people feel a certain way about you, that's what sets them apart from everyone... It's what Colby has done and it's what has made him a star," Kamaru Usman.
Check out his comments from the 18:34 mark below:
Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington: How did Kamaru Usman do against the two UFC 296 headliners?
Leon Edwards and Colby Covington will lock horns for the welterweight title on December 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
Kamaru Usman has shared the octagon with both the athletes in the UFC. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' and Edwards first fought in December 2015. The Nigerian won that encounter via unanimous decision.
The two athletes went toe-to-toe again at UFC 278. This time, the welterweight title was on the line. After being outclassed by Usman for the majority of the fight, 'Rocky' pulled off a brilliant comeback victory by scoring a brutal head kick on his opponent in the last minute of the fight.
The two athletes then competed in a trilogy bout at UFC 286. The Birmingham fighter successfully defended his title that night by securing a unanimous decision victory.
Usman and Covington first fought at UFC 245. In a thrilling back-and-forth encounter, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' got his hand raised via knockout in the fifth round of the fight.
The two athletes got scheduled for a rematch at UFC 268. Once again, the 36-year-old took home the victory by unanimous decision.