Colby Covington wants to settle his rivalry with Kamaru Usman — and he's not waiting on the UFC to make it happen.
The two UFC welterweight veterans have met twice in title fights, with Usman coming out on top both times, first with a fifth-round TKO at UFC 245 in December 2019 and then with a narrow unanimous decision victory in their rematch at UFC 268 in November 2021.
Speaking to Bloody Elbow, Covington issued a direct challenge to "The Nigerian Nightmare" for a trilogy bout under the Real American Freestyle (RAF) grappling banner, framing it as the natural landing spot if Usman's pursuit of a UFC title fight comes up short.
I'd like to see Usman in a Real American Freestyle. We need to do this. We need to settle the trilogy in Real American Freestyle," Covington said. "So that's what I'm proposing here today. If Usman doesn't get the title fight, come see Daddy of Real American Freestyle and let's do this trilogy.
As for whether Usman would accept, "Chaos" expressed genuine confidence. He cited the former UFC welterweight champion's competitive nature and claimed his longtime rival has already gone on record wanting a third fight.
He's a competitor. He likes to compete. He's still got that fire and drive," Covington said. "He's said for a while that he wants to do a trilogy with me because we have unfinished business. I think it intrigues him. I think he wants to settle the score.
The former interim 170-pound titleholder also used the opportunity to relitigate the history between the two, disputing the finish of their first UFC bout.
The first fight was a scam. Complete scam. I kicked him in the liver. He called a nutshot, and then it was an early stoppage. I clearly stood up and protested right away." He added that he believes the second fight — a unanimous decision loss at Madison Square Garden — was closer than the official result suggests, pointing out that "a lot of people had me winning that fight 3-to-2.
Covington made his RAF debut last month at RAF 5, earning a dominant technical fall victory over former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.
Meanwhile, the 38-year-old Californian has been away from the Octagon since his brutal third-round TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa in December 2024.
On the other hand, “The Nigerian Nightmare” last fought at UFC Atlanta in June 2025, snapping a three-fight skid with a unanimous decision win over Buckley.
Usman has since set his sights on a title shot against reigning welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, though that matchup appears unlikely in the near future.