Stephen Thompson can’t wrap his head around the fact that Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington are due for a rematch.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto broke the news that Usman will be putting his UFC Welterweight Title on the line against Colby Covington a second time in November. Madison Square Garden in New York City could be the landing spot. The title rematch is set to headline UFC 268.
Speaking to James Lynch for Fanatics View, Thompson explained why he’s against Usman vs. Covington 2 (via BJPenn.com).
“Why!? Why? The guy literally got stopped, he got his jaw broken, had one fight (against Tyron Woodley) and now he’s fighting again for the title. They’re just throwing the same guys at Usman over and over and over again. I figured Leon Edwards, somebody different, he hasn’t fought him in several years. But at least it’s somebody different. Somebody that’s kind of worked his way back up. What’s he on, a nine-fight winning streak? I don’t get why they didn’t give him the fight! Little disappointed in where the UFC is going with that.”
Back in December 2019, Usman and Covington shared the Octagon in the main event of UFC 245. In an instant classic, Usman defeated Covington via fifth-round TKO to retain the 170-pound gold.
Since that bout, Usman has had three more successful title defenses. Usman defeated Jorge Masvidal twice and Gilbert Burns. Covington has had one fight since the loss to Usman and that was a fifth-round TKO win over Tyron Woodley.
