colby-covington.jpg
Getty Images

UFC is targeting Nov. 2 for a showdown between the welterweight champion and the man who claims to be the uncrowned king. UFC president Dana White confirmed the promotion is aiming for Kamaru Usman to put the 170-pound title on the line against Colby Covington when the promotion lands at Madison Square Garden in New York for UFC 244. Speaking following Dana White's Contender Series, White answered with a simple "Yeah" when asked if Usman vs. Covington was being planned for the MSG card.

Covington (15-1) won the interim welterweight crown at UFC 225 in June 2018 with a win over Rafael dos Anjos before nasal surgery and inactivity led the promotion to strip him of that title. That has not stopped Covington from continuing to carry the title around, however, and he certainly looked like a champion when he returned to action at UFC on ESPN 5 on Aug. 3, dismantling Robbie Lawler over five rounds of action. Covington set a UFC record for most strikes thrown in a bout, launching 541 shots at Lawler.

Can't get enough UFC? Subscribe to my podcast -- State of Combat with Brian Campbell -- where I break down everything you need to know in the Octagon.

After his victory over Lawler, things between Covington and Usman got heated on the ESPN set.

Usman (15-1) won the title in March with a dominant performance against Tyron Woodley. The victory ran his winning streak to 14 with 10 of those victories coming in the Octagon. In future event betting lines, Usman sits as a prospective favorite for the title fight. The bout would also come on the heels of Covington trash talk drawing out Nick Diaz, who has not fought since January 2015.

When asked about Covington's trash talk, Diaz responded simply, "Step in my motherf---ing range right here. Come at me, bro."

But for now, Covington's beef with the Diaz brothers takes a backseat to a likely clash with the champ and the opportunity to prove his claims of being the division's true champ are more than hollow words.

More UFC news, rumors

  • In a fight that feels straight out of 2014, Matt Brown announced he is returning to the Octagon for the first time since November 2017 to face Ben Saunders. The fight will take place at UFC 245 on Dec. 14. Saunders is on a three-fight losing skid while Brown beat Diego Sanchez to snap his own losing streak in 2017.
  • After Alex Perez was forced out of his flyweight bout against Sergio Pettis at UFC Mexico City, UFC has called in longtime MMA veteran Tyson Nam as a replacement. Nam has been fighting professionally since 2006 and has traveled the world while establishing himself as a threat at bantamweight. He dropped to flyweight in 2015 and has picked up a record of 3-1-1 in the division.
  • "The Violent Bob Ross" returns to the Octagon on Oct. 12 as Luis Pena will square off with Matt Frevola in a lightweight bout at UFC Tampa. After a loss and a draw, Frevola finally picked up an Octagon victory when he beat Jalin Turner in April at UFC 236. Pena is riding a two-fight winning streak, most recently beating Matt Wiman at UFC Greenville in June.