The simmering tension between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington boiled over on Friday morning (AEDT) with the pair involved in a physical altercation following the UFC 268 pre-fight press conference.
The war of words between the pair in the lead-up to their welterweight championship showdown on Sunday had been ramping up in recent days, and continued unabated when they shared the same stage at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
After half an hour of nasty sledging back and forth, defending champion Usman (19-1) reached his tipping point, as he first took a step forward as he and Covington (16-2) were being faced off by UFC president Dana White, before vigorously shoving the former interim champion, leading to both men being held back from each other by security guards.
Watch UFC 268: Usman vs Covington 2 LIVE on Main Event available on Kayo and Foxtel, Sunday 7th November from 1pm AEDT. ORDER NOW >
The scuffle didn’t quite reach the same level as middleweight boxers Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant back in September, which saw Plant finish up with a cut below his right eye, but it was enough to confirm what everyone already knew – Usman and Covington hate each other.
It capped off a predictably fiery press conference which, among other things, saw Covington make disparaging remarks about Usman’s father, who spent almost a decade in prison for health care fraud.
“Is your daddy the jailbird coming on Saturday night? I’m going to hook up with law enforcement if you want me to call his parole officer. I’ll make sure he can come on Saturday night,” Covington needled.
“I feel so sorry for Mrs. Usman. Think about that, she’s got a cheating son, she’s got a scammer husband, that must be shitty in that household.”
Covington’s claim that Usman is a drug cheat is unsubstantiated.
Usman took in his stride, though, responding: “Could you please make that phone call? Please? I need him here to watch you get your face broken this time.”
And while Usman said he had respect for Covington as a fighter, that’s where the platitudes ended for his arch rival.
“I love what he brings to the table, he pushed me last time and I expect that from him this time, but as a person he’s a rotten piece of s*** and I can’t believe his father let him put this persona on,” Usman said.
“After I break the other part of his face, absolutely I’ll shake his hand if he’s still in the cage and (does) not run away like he did last time.”
Covington, on the other hand, emphatically ruled out any chance of shaking Usman’s hand after their main event grudge match, labelling Usman “a coward”.
Despite the serious nature of the drug accusations that Covington has hurled his way, Usman said he “loves it” because it presents another challenge for him to overcome.
“He said he didn’t have me on his mind at all times, but I’m all he can talk about,” Usman said.
“I’ve been living up there, taking a shit up there, pissing all up there in his head. On Saturday night, I’ll separate him from consciousness.”
Covington, though, claims that Usman has avoided their rematch “at all costs” following their first meeting in December 2019 which Usman won via TKO late in the fifth round, and Covington was excited by prospect of renewing acquaintances at the world-famous New York arena.
“When I think about Madison Square Garden, I think about the Rolling Stones, Hulkamania, I think bout Muhammad Ali and now Colby Covington,” he said.
“What do all those have in common? Legends. Icons. Hall-of-famers. World class.”
The enormity of the occasion wasn’t lost on Usman, either.
“It’s going to be spectacular,” he said.
“This will definitely go down in the history books as one of the most especial events of my career.
“Like Wesley Snipes said – you always bet on black.”
Watch UFC 268: Usman vs Covington 2 LIVE on Main Event available on Kayo and Foxtel, Sunday 7th November from 1pm AEDT. ORDER NOW >
