Kamaru Usman Likens Colby Covington Rivalry to Ali-Frazier, Won’t Rule Out Future Trilogy

When all was said and done, Kamaru Usman was able to bury the hatchet with Colby Covington following their rematch at UFC 268.

The two men shared a moment of respect following Saturday’s headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York, where Usman retained his title with a unanimous decision victory — his second triumph against Covington in a little less than two year’s time. Both fights against “Chaos” were hard-fought, which Usman acknowledged while making a lofty comparison regarding their rivalry at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“As a competitor I respect him – that’s the next best guy in the division. “This guy’s tough as nails. He’s very, very tough,” Usman said. “Let’s be honest: [Muhammad] Ali needed a [Joe] Frazier. All these guys. You can be the great one, but there’s always going to be the one guy that can push you. He is that guy. As much of him outside the Octagon as most people don’t like, myself included, you have to respect him as a competitor.”

Given the hostilities between the two leading up to the rematch, it didn’t seem likely that the two welterweights would be able to put their differences aside, but once their fight concluded — so did the animosity. “I’m not surprised. We’ve shared pretty much an hour inside that cage,” Usman said. “I don’t care who you you are, there’s a mutual respect that just comes alive. It’s the spirit of competition; that’s the spirit of martial arts.”

Usman is currently on a 15-bout winning streak in UFC competition, a run that has him perched atop more than a few pound-for-pound polls. Though there’s a few potential interesting challenges on the horizon, “The Nigerian Nightmare” wouldn’t rule out a trilogy with Covington under the right set of circumstances.

“I don’t know [if there will be a trilogy],” Usman said. “That guy’s tough. I think he’ll tune up a lot of guys in the division so it’s up to him. If he’s willing to do the work and get back up here, and I’m still here, we’ll make it happen.”