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Obaseki hails Usman for retaining title as Covington dares Nigerian nightmare

By Michael Egbejule, Benin City
27 April 2021   |   2:21 am
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, congratulated UFC Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, who hails from Edo State, for retaining the coveted title.

Obaseki

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, congratulated UFC Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, who hails from Edo State, for retaining the coveted title.  

Usman, at the weekend, defeated his rival, Jorge Masvidal, in a rematch with a vicious second-round knockout, to retain the UFC welterweight championship, putting his name on the short list of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.   Obaseki, in a statement, celebrated the undisputed champion for his agility, vigour and confidence, commending him for always showcasing the indomitable Edo spirit to the world.  

He said: “I congratulate our own Kamaru Usman for retaining his title as the undisputed welterweight champion of UFC. The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ once again shines brightly as an Edo star, showcasing the indomitable Edo spirit to the world.  

“We are proud of his achievements and wish him more victories in his career.”

Meanwhile, with Usman intent on lapping his competition and Colby Covington the No 1 contender, a rematch between the pair would seem the obvious choice for UFC’s matchmakers, and president Dana White admitted that ‘it is the fight to make’.

“It’s the fight to make,” White said after UFC 261 via MMA Junkie. ‘He’s the No. 1 (contender) in the world. Usman’s thing was, he didn’t want him to be the backup. He’s like, ‘I want Masvidal, then I want a camp, then I’ll take (Covington) again. I’m going to start lapping these guys.”

Although the Usman fight is the one Covington desperately wants, negotiations are not always that simple.

After all, talks broke down between Chaos and the UFC when they attempted to schedule Usman v Covington for UFC 244, with the 33-year-old unhappy with the financial offer on the table from the organisation.

“What happened exactly was the UFC came to me and offered me a basic challenger’s rate,” Covington explained at the time to MMA Fighting.

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