Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington Set for Welterweight Title Fight at UFC 268
July 26, 2021
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will be defending his belt against Colby Covington at UFC 268 in November.
UFC President Dana White relayed the news to ESPN's Brett Okamoto. The date and location are unknown, but the UFC wants to hold the event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Usman is 19-1 lifetime (14-0 UFC) and currently riding an 18-match win streak.
The 34-year-old initially won the belt off Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 in March 2019. He then defended the belt against Covington in December 2019, earning a fifth-round TKO win.
The 33-year-old Covington is 16-2 lifetime. He once held the interim UFC welterweight belt after beating Rafael dos Anjos by unanimous decision in June 2018.
Covington, who is the No. 1 contender for the welterweight belt, is 11-2 in the UFC. His only losses were to Usman and Warlley Alves in Dec. 2015 by first-round submission.
Usman last fought in April, when he beat Jorge Masvidal by second-round knockout. Covington's last Octagon appearance was in Sept. 2020, when he beat Woodley by fifth-round TKO after the latter fighter suffered a rib injury.
