Kamaru Usman gets fight date against rival in UFC

Kamaru Usman will defend his UFC welterweight title against rival Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 245 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight, scheduled for December 14, is Usman’s first defence of the welterweight title he won in March against Tyron Woodley. The win took Usman’s streak to 14 in a row but the Nigerian Nightmare hasn’t fought since because of injuries.

Since his fight with Woodley, Usman has had to battle knee injuries and a double hernia.

“I had a pretty significant surgery after my last fight so I want to get back to the point where I can be in the gym and start training. Then I can become the active and dominant champ that I want to be. We’re talking some contracts that need to be worked out, we’re talking about logistics of where the fight can take place, and the most important is my injury. By the end of the year, I should be fighting again, for sure,” Usman said in May.

It’s finally time to settle this!

Dec 14. Las Vegas. #UFC245.

🏆🇳🇬 @USMAN84kg vs 🇺🇸 @ColbyCovMMA. pic.twitter.com/ebsD2uo7jp

— UFC (@ufc) October 1, 2019

Covington, a former interim champion, heads into the match with a seven-game winning streak after defeating Robbie Lawler in August.

The showdown could have happened earlier in November as both fighters were touted to face-off at the UFC 244 in New York but negotiations broke down as Covington lamented UFC’s “labour tactics”.

Finally, both fighters will face off in the cage after months of trash talk and animosity.

Security had to step in to restrain both Usman and Covington during a heated exchange in the post-show after Covington defeated Lawler.

The other fights on the card include the featherweight title fight between Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski and the women’s bantamweight title battle between Amanda Nunes and Germaine De Randamie.