Colby Covington on Usman's Last Two Opponents: 'I Already Took Their Souls'

Kamaru Usman may have vaulted himself to a welterweight title shot with back-to-back dominant victories over Rafael dos Anjos and Demian Maia, but the man he is looking to leapfrog, Colby Covington, is not impressed.

Usman’s five-round wipeout of dos Anjos at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 28 finale last month prompted Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White to suggest he may get a title shot at Tyron Woodley instead of giving it to Covington, the former interim champion who appeared to be the presumptive next title challenger.

Covington was a guest on MMA Junkie Radio, where he claimed he had not watched Usman’s latest victory or heard what White said about the No. 1 contender spot, preferring to just focus on improving himself in and out of the cage.

“I don’t pay attention too much to that kind of stuff,” Covington said. “I just focus on what I can control. I focus on my training, I focus on my belief and just everything. Improving every day as a martial artist, as a person and just learning from everything. I don’t really take too much credit into that. People were saying Dana said some comments. I didn’t even hear his comments. I don’t pay attention; I didn’t know there was even a fight show on Friday night. I got better sh*t to do. I’m the cardio king. I’m out with all my chicks.

“Dana White’s a smart man,” Covington added. “He’s a businessman. The numbers don’t lie. Any way you want to do it, I’m what’s best for business. Hate me or love me, I am what’s best for business. I don’t pay attention to any negative. I only focus on the positive.”

“Chaos” did have words for Usman, claiming his last two victories over dos Anjos and Demian Maia were against men Covington had already beaten and, according to Covington, two guys who were a shadow of themselves as a result. Covington also did not pass up a chance to take a swipe at what he perceives to be a boring fight style on the part of the surging Nigerian.

“’Snooze-man,’ his last two fights, he hasn’t beaten anybody coming off wins,” Covington said. “Don’t you think he should have to earn a fight against someone coming off a win? He just fought two guys that I’d already took their souls. Those guys were shells of their former selves, because I took those guys’ souls.

“So, Usman needs to go out there and prove himself and beat someone coming off a win,” Covington concluded. “And then we can talk, you know? Besides that, the guy’s just copying everything I do. He literally wants to be me. He’s begging to be me.”