Kamaru Usman Refutes Colby Covington's Claims That He Is Faking Injuries To Avoid Fighting

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has scoffed at suggestions made by fellow 170-pounder Colby Covington that he’s been faking a number of injuries to avoid fighting him.

Covington was widely expected to face Usman for the 170-pound title next before “Chaos” decided against waiting for the champion and accepted a bout against former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.

Usman claims he had been scheduled to fight Covington on a number of occasions and that it was Covington who refused to sign before. Now, as Usman says, the tables have turned and Covington is accusing Usman of ducking him (transcribed by MMAJunkie.com):

“It’s comical actually,” Usman said. “It’s a clear fact that I had double hernia surgery. It’s a clear fact that I had a tube coming out of my stomach that I had to pump the blood out of there.”

“[The doctor] said it would be some time before I got to even participate in activities again, and hearing this guy (Covington) now saying, ‘Oh, he’s faking injuries.’ No, it’s a clear fact I am injured, not faking injuries here,” Usman said. “I was wheeled out on a wheelchair after my fight because I could not walk. I mean, who wants to pretend to be on a wheelchair after they’ve done something as major as becoming the world champion?”

Usman says he wants to return before the end of the year to defend his title and of course make the most of his potential earnings as the champion:

“Absolutely before the year is over, for sure,” Usman said of his next fight. “I love to fight; this is what I do. And then now being in the position that I’m in, the more I fight, the more I run up that bank account, so of course I need to get in there, and I need to fight.”

Covington faces Lawler on Aug. 3 at UFC on ESPN 5 in Newark, New Jersey.