When looking at the current state of the weight classes in UFC and ranking them from top to bottom, the welterweight class has to be near the top. With fresh faces bursting on the scene and some old veterans still lingering around the top five, one could argue there's not a more dangerous division than 170 pounds. And that action continues on Saturday when top ranked contender Colby Covington takes on former champion Robbie Lawler in Newark, New Jersey.
Covington (14-1), the brash former interim welterweight champion, will end a 14-month layoff from competition where he defeated the legendary Rafael dos Anjos in June 2018 at UFC 225 to claim the interim title. Though, as he recently explained to CBS Sports, Covington refuses to acknowledge that he's been stripped of his interim status as he awaits what he hopes will be a shot at Kamaru Usman next when the champion is healthy enough to return to the Octagon.
"That belt is not getting taken away. You are going to have to beat me to earn that title," Covington said. "You can call me what you want. You can call me the interim champ, you can call me America's champ or you can call me the people's champ -- or Donald Trump's favorite fighter -- but you can not call me former anything until I'm beaten inside that Octagon."
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Standing in the way of Covington and the opportunity to earn a crack at finally becoming the true champion, however, is one of the more dangerous and unpredictable fighters the sport has ever known in the former welterweight champ Lawler (28-13, 1 NC). "Ruthless" is currently on a two-fight losing streak, though many still leave open for debate just how much stock could be put into his first-round submission loss to the debuting Ben Askren in March at UFC 235. Prior to the controversial finish, Lawler reminded us all of the damage that he can inflict upon an opponent at any given moment; it was also a stern reminder that, in one of the more star-studded divisions within the promotion currently, the legendary figure should never be placed too far out of contention.
Come Saturday afternoon in Newark, we're going to know a lot more about the welterweight division moving forward.
In the co-main event, a pair of future Hall of Famers square off when Jim Miller takes on Clay Guida in a lightweight showdown. Miller is coming off a first-round submission win over Jason Gonzalez in April while Guida scored a decision win over another future Hall of Famer in B.J. Penn in May.
Also on this card are some of UFC's top prospects Mickey Gall, Antonina Shevchenko and Kennedy Nzechukwu. Gall is looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Diego Sanchez in March while Shevchenko is also looking to get back in the win column after losing to Roxanne Modefari in April. Nzechukwu suffered a third-round submission loss to Paul Craig in March.
Let's now take a look at the full UFC Newark card, with the latest odds from Westgate.
UFC Newark card
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
Colby Covington -250 | Robbie Lawler +200 | Welterweight |
Jim Miller -150 | Clay Guida +130 | Lightweight |
Nasrat Haqparast -275 | Joaquim Silva +225 | Lightweight |
Trevin Giles -170 | Gerald Meerschaert +145 | Middleweight |
| Scott Holtzman -425 | Dong Huyng Ma +325 | Lightweight |
| Darko Stosic -120 | Kennedy Nzechukwu -100 | Light heavyweight |
UFC Newark viewing information
Date: Saturday, Aug. 3 | Start time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Prudential Center -- Newark, New Jersey
TV Info: ESPN | Stream: WatchESPN
UFC Newark prediction
Covington vs. Lawler: Covington has garnered a lot of hate for himself while he's done everything in his power to become one of the biggest villains to ever step inside the cage. Despite that, though, it's difficult to ignore the skill that he brings to the table when that cage door closes and the fight begins. The ex-interim champion may come across as undisciplined when his mouth opens, but don't let that lead you to believe the case is similar when he's competing. Lawler will look for the highlight knockout, per usual, but Covington will stay composed enough to control the action with his superior wrestling ability and win on points. Pick: Covington via unanimous decision
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