Watch: When Colby Covington won his first-ever MMA fight via first-round submission against Marcos Rocha

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Colby Covington [Image Courtesy: @colbycovmma on Instagram]

At UFC 268, Colby Covington will have a second chance to capture the UFC welterweight title from long-reigning champion Kamaru Usman. The two elite athletes previously fought a fight of the year contender brawl, in which Usman edged to victory.

Since that fight, Covington picked up a TKO victory over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. This win was enough for the UFC to grant 'Chaos' his second shot at Usman.

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In the build-up to this much anticipated rematch, footage has emerged of Covington's first ever amateur MMA fight. An 18 year old Covington, with considerably longer hair, can be seen brawling in an event which had Randy Couture as a ring announcer.

Former UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen recently reacted to the footage on his YouTube channel, where he stated that:

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"Colby, longer hair, 18 years old, same look in his eye. Same wild intensity. His skills look like that of an 18 year old who saw there was a cage fight and wanted to look like a tough guy and signed up. He didn't know what he was doing. His grit was the same, his determination was the same. His will to win was the same. It was just amazing."

You can check out the full video below:

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Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2

Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington's rematch headlines what is being regarded as a possible UFC pay-per-view card of the year. Usman goes into the fight as a reasonably heavy favorite likely because he has already been victorious over Covington and he has been more active since.

As mentioned above, Colby Covington has only fought once since their first fight. Usman has competed, and defended his title, three times since then. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' ended Jorge Masvidal's hopes of getting a UFC title anytime soon with two definitive wins over him, whilst also knocking out his own former teammate Gilbert Burns.

It is clear to see where Usman has improved his game, but it remains to be seen if Colby Covington has evolved from the fighter who had his jaw supposedly broken by Usman in 2019.

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