So far only one opponent in Usman’s defense gave him his hardest fight and that is none other than Colby Covington. Many were saying that the fight would be boring because of their lackluster style of fighting but it turned out to be one of the best fights of that year.
Coming to the fight, both fighters were not really the most popular fighters in the roster. It was a matter of Covington’s antics that made the fight more marketable. For those who are not aware, Covington changed from being the humble fighter to becoming a trash talker, that makes people hate him. In terms of the sport, there has to be villain.
The villain is needed in order to attract the casual fans, simply put people want to see Covington lose because they hate him. Although Covington’s performance against Usman deserves props, he won 2 rounds prior to round 5. We all know Usman is one of the most dominant fighters in the division, mostly shuts down his opponents all rounds but not Covington.
In terms of their fight, Covington is not known for his power but he compensates it with volume and endurance. Covington just doesn’t get tired and even drowns his opponents with pressure, the problem is it did not work on Usman because Usman also has that great cardio for days.
So did Covington improve his striking that will make him be able to give Usman problems? It is also worth noting that both fighters who are known for their wrestling never used it in their fight. Will Covington use it in the rematch as a way to mix with his striking?
After suffering the loss, Covington went on to fight former welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley. It was also Covington’s first fight since switching camps and it showed huge improvements. In the later round, Covington managed to finish Woodley in the last round.
In the fight, Woodley had that going back in the cage tendency that Covington capitalized on. So the fight showed Covington still has that pressure and his volume striking also made Woodley hesitant of throwing a shot. Did switching of camps prove beneficial to Covington?
