Watch: Robert Whittaker hilariously explains why he excused himself from a face-off between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington

Robert Whittaker (left) and Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington (right) [Image credits: @espnmma and @robertwhittakermma on Instagram]

Robert Whittaker has revealed why he chose to step away from the backstage altercation between Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman in 2018.

In April 2018, UFC held a press conference to commemorate its 25th anniversary. Several UFC athletes who had a fight lined up in the near future were part of the event. This included names like Stipe Miocic, Robert Whittaker, Amanda Nunes, TJ Dillashaw, Yoel Romero, Darren Till, Tyron Woodley and Daniel Cormier.

The UFC 25th anniversary presser DELIVERED!

Not only did we get Conor vs. Khabib confirmed, but we got a first look at Woodley vs. Till 👀

And it's gonna be BIG! 👊 https://t.co/AhTpA5TL90

While the fighters were backstage prepping to walk out for the press conference, Usman and Covington got into a heated confrontation. 'Bobby Knuckles', who was standing near the two welterweights, chose to excuse himself from the face off.

You can see the heated interaction between Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman below:

In a recent appearance on Fox Sports, Whittaker revealed the hilarious reason for why he chose to step away from the verbal altercation:

"In that moment, when they were beefing, I was like, 'Screw this! I don't wanna get in the middle of this because if I get dragged in, I'm just gonna go mental.' So, I just scooted onto the back and waited for it to fly by," said Robert Whittaker.

Colby Covington comments on Kamaru Usman wanting to fight Canelo Alvarez

Colby Covington will face Kamaru Usman in a rematch at UFC 268. The two previously fought at UFC 245 where 'The Nigerian Nightmare' got his hand raised via fifth-round TKO.

Kamaru Usman will meet Colby Covington in a welterweight title rematch at UFC 268 in November, Dana White told @bokamotoESPN.

The date and location are not finalized yet, but UFC is hoping for the fight to headline Madison Square Garden. https://t.co/nqVAjgogO4

On multiple occasions, Usman has expressed interest in fighting Canelo Alvarez in a boxing match. During media day for UFC 268, 'Chaos' blasted the welterweight champion, saying Usman was just looking for a future excuse with the talk of an Alvarez fight:

“Just more fake news and easier landing for him [Kamaru Usman]. He just wants a way out for after I beat him up on Saturday night; for him to say, ‘Oh, I wasn’t focused.’ It just gives him an exit plan, you know, like, ‘Oh, I was focusing on Canelo. Oh, I was focused on going up in weight. I wasn’t focused on Colby.’ You know, he’ll be begging the UFC for a rematch.”