Dana White Says Usman vs. Covington Will Happen This Year

Former UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Colby Covington defeated former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler in the main event of UFC Fight Night Newark, clearing the way for a bout against longtime rival and UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman.

UFC President Dana White says the bout between Covington and Usman is going to be happening later this year.

“Yeah, (expletive) will happen by the end of the year,” White said at the UFC 241 post-fight press conference (via Nolan King & John Morgan of MMA Junkie).

Usman has yet to defend the UFC Welterweight Title, which he won by defeating Tyron Woodley by unanimous decision at UFC 235.

White also claims that Covington, who was in attendance at UFC 241, almost got into fights with other UFC stars were in attendance at the event.

“Everybody in that section kept fighting with Colby,” White said. “So security kept coming over to me 50 times to get him out of there. And I said, ‘No, everybody needs to start acting like (expletive) professionals because I don’t have another seat in this entire building.’ That (expletive) game you play in kindergarten was going on over there when I went over there. So I asked those guys (to) listen to me: ‘We’ve got a big night going on here. We have a big fight. I don’t need a fight breaking out with you knuckleheads. Stop it.’”

There are fifteen events left for the UFC in 2019, meaning there are plenty of opportunities for a bout between Usman and Covington to happen.