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American Colby Covington has announced that he is going to become a substitute fighter for a rematch between his compatriot Jorge Masvidal and UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
“Everbody knows, the UFC hasn’t told me but I think it’s self-explanatory, I’m the backup guy,” Covington said. “If anything happens, anybody gets COVID, anybody gets cold feet and pulls out of that fight then I’m showing up.”
“I’m staying ready, I have my weight ready to go, I’m training preparing like I am fighting April 24 for the world title so you know if they want me to weigh in I’d love to weigh in, if not it’s okay I’ll be there in attendance and I’ll be ready to go in case anybody pulls out last minute.” – Colby Covington said during an interview with MMA reporter The Schmo.
Covington last fought in September 2020 against Tyron Woodley and was able to win by TKO in the fifth round. Prior to this fight, Covington lost his attempt to win the welterweight title in an extremely competitive five-round war, where he was finished by Usman in the final round.
Kamaru Usman last defended his title against Gilbert Burns in February, winning by knockout in the second round. In 2020, Usman quickly fought Masvidal for the first time and won a landslide victory by decision.
However, since their first meeting, Jorge Masvidal missed out however he was offered the opportunity to fight Covington, including for the couple to host the comeback of The Ultimate Fighter.
It’s not clear for Colby Covington if the UFC will pick him as a backup at the event or what will happen to the top fighter after this title fight.