Colby Covington will be the next man to face UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says Dana White.
White confirmed former interim champion Covington will finally get his chance to grasp undisputed UFC gold in an interview following the Tuesday Night Contender Series.
This news comes following Covington’s impressive five-round unanimous decision victory over former champion Robbie Lawler on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.
“That’s why I put Covington on ESPN against a guy like Lawler,” White said of “Chaos” after confirming he’s next in line. [H/T MMA Fighting]
“You can say whatever you want about Covington, you don’t like him, you don’t this, that, or whatever — he put on a clinic against Lawler, who is a beast.
“Lawler’s been in all the big fights, former world champion, hits like a truck and Colby completely shut him down.
“His cardio was impressive and the way that he beat Lawler was even more impressive.”
Covington was stripped of his interim championship after not being able to make the date set by the UFC to face then-champion Tyron Woodley.
Since then, Usman wrestled UFC gold from Woodley’s grasp in dominant fashion at UFC 235 earlier in March.
Jorge Masvidal, who is coming off a stunning knockout victory over Ben Askren, had a claim to the next title shot, but it appears Covington is the preferred option.
Covington and Usman had a heated exchange of words after Saturday’s event, as you can see below.
