UFC News: Dana White blames Colby Covington for failed Kamaru Usman fight
UFC President Dana White has revealed the reason as to why a fight is yet to be made between Colby Covington and welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
When Covington expertly dismantled Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 5 in August, it seemed set in stone that a fight between Covington and Usman would be made - White even publicly announced his intention to book the fight for UFC 244.
The Blame Game
It has now become clear that UFC 244 is to be headlined by Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, in a bout that seems to have seriously struck a chord with fight fans around the world.
However, the MMA community has been left wondering why no welterweight title fight has been announced when Usman vs Covington had looked like such a formality just a few weeks ago.
During yesterday's UFC 244 press conference, Dana White made the following comments on the negotiations between Colby Covington and the matchmakers at the UFC...
“Colby Covington can say whatever he wants, but we make fights for a living. That’s what we do. We go after guys and we say, ‘This is next. This is the date. Do you want the fight?’ Obviously he wanted more money to fight Usman. We went back and forth.”
“This is the second time he’s done it,” White said. “He had a fight in Dallas, too. So we said, ‘If you don’t want to fight Usman then we’ll give you Tyron Woodley’. He turned down Tyron Woodley, too. You either want to fight or you don’t. When Colby Covington is willing to fight, he’ll let us know.” (MMAJunkie)
What's Next?
Covington may well have shot himself in the foot with his refusal to play ball with the UFC on this occasion. The UFC welterweight division is full to the brim with legitimate title contenders who will be happy to step into the number one contender spot left vacant by Colby.
Nate Diaz looks revitalized, Jorge Masvidal looks more dangerous than ever before, Leon Edwards is on an 8-fight win streak and Tyron Woodley has proved himself as one of the most dominant welterweights of all time.
It is unlikely that Dana White will allow such a talented division to be held hostage by Covington. Don't be surprised if a new title challenger is named in the coming weeks.