UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, will be hoping to successfully defend his title for the fifth consecutive time when he squares up against archrival Colby Covington at the Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday.
After clinching the middleweight belt against Tyron Woodley in 2019, Usman has gone on to successfully defend his title four times against Covington, Jorge Masvidal (twice) and Gilbert Burns.
Covington gave the Nigerian one of his greatest challenges since joining the franchise.
And just like their first meeting, there has been bad blood between both fighters, heading into the title fight, with Covington recently stating he was certain of winning the bout.
“I’m confident I’m going to get my hands raised and I’m sure there’s no man alive that can stop me,” he said. “I have a different game plan this time around and next week, the world’s going to see it.”
Usman has been unbeaten since joining the UFC in 2014, amassing a total of 14 wins. The UFC fighter will be hoping to record his 15th win of the franchise and fifth consecutive welterweight title defence.
The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ says he won the first fight because he was willing to make changes in the cage and would do same come Sunday.
“When you have a little more hit in your hands than the other guy, it makes a lot of difference. What made the difference in the last fight was that I was willing to make adjustments. As fights go on, I grow and make adjustments and that’s what sets us apart.”
SOURCE : Punch