Kamaru Usman open to Colby Covington trilogy down the road

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says he is open to a Colby Covington trilogy fight down the road if his rival works his way back up.

Usman defeated Covington via unanimous decision in the main event of this past Saturday’s UFC 268 pay-per-view card. Just like their first meeting at UFC 245 in December 2019, which came down to the wire before a late stoppage in the fifth round. the rematch was a close fight, with Usman edging out a tight decision on the judges’ scorecards. It was an excellent matchup and even though he lost, Covington showed once again that he is the second-best welterweight in the division. It just so happens that Usman is the best fighter in the weight class and he has now beaten Covington twice.

While Usman is busy enough with the likes of Leon Edwards, Khamzat Chimaev, and the other contenders at 170lbs, he knows that Covington is talented enough in order to work his way back up the welterweight title shot pecking order. Speaking to the media following UFC 268, Usman admitted he can see Covington getting back to the top of the division.

“That guy’s tough. He’ll tune up a lot of guys in the division. We’ll see. It’s up to him. If he’s willing to do the work and get back up here and if I’m still here, then we’ll make it happen,” Usman said of Covington (via MMAFighting.com).

A trilogy fight between Usman and Covington would be interesting, but the UFC typically does not book these fights when someone is 0-2 against their opponent already. That being said, if Covington goes on another long win streak, it’s possible it could happen.

What do you think Colby Covington would have to do in order to earn a trilogy fight against Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title?