LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 02: (L-R) Kamaru Usman of Nigeria walks back to his corner after a round of his welterweight championship bout against Tyron Woodley during the UFC 235 event at T-Mobile Arena on March 2, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Report: Colby Covington vs Kamaru Usman Welterweight Title Fight Set for UFC 245

Paul Kasabian

Sep 27, 2019

UFC 245 will now have three title fights after ESPN's Ariel Helwani reported Friday that welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will put his belt up against Colby Covington.

The card, which will take place Dec. 14 in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena, also features women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes against Germaine de Randamie and featherweight title holder Max Holloway versus Alexander Volkanovski.

Usman sports a 15-1 professional MMA record, with his last loss occurring in May 2013. He most recently beat Tyron Woodley for the welterweight belt at UFC 235 in March via unanimous decision. The 32-year-old is the UFC's No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter.

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Covington is also 15-1, with his last defeat occurring in December 2015. The 31-year-old's last appearance ended with a unanimous-decision win over Robbie Lawler on Aug. 3. His 510 significant strike attempts set a UFC single-fight record, per Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.

ESPN's Brett Okamoto provided his take on a potential Usman-Covington fight after the challenger defeated Lawler:

The bad blood has already started between the two, with Covington calling out Usman immediately after his latest win:

Usman is listed as the clear favorite at numerous sportsbooks, per Oddschecker. Of note, Usman is a -175 favorite ($175 bet to win $100) at Betfair.