Kamaru Usman has weighed in on the alleged incident involving his previous two opponents in Miami Beach, Fla.
Jorge Masvidal allegedly attacked Colby Covington outside of a restaurant in March, which has led to Masvidal facing two separate charges, including aggravated battery. Court documents state that Masvidal struck Covington with a deadly weapon that caused great bodily injury — which has now been documented as a “brain injury.”
On Saturday, the current UFC welterweight champion, and the No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings gave his reaction to the situation.
“I was a little disappointed in that,” Usman told reporters backstage at UFC 274. “I expressed that disappointment on Twitter. I was disappointed in what they did but at the end of the day, that’s how life goes. If you say certain things that push certain buttons, certain guys react a certain way and we saw the result of that.”
Usman revealed he is still recovering from a hand injury that required surgery following his successful title defense against Covington at November’s UFC 268 event. “The Nigerian Nightmare” had no official timetable in mind for a return to the octagon. UFC president Dana White has said on multiple occasions that the promotion is planning on Leon Edwards to be next to challenge Usman, although no official announcement has been made.
The champ is well-aware of what it’s like to get verbal venom hurled in his direction by Covington, but he doesn’t believe anybody deserved what allegedly happened that night in Miami Beach.
“I don’t think anyone had a justification to do that,” Usman said. “If two guys in [the media room] started fighting, there’s no justification for that. As a man, you should be able to “use your words,” as your parents would say. But if you can’t, sign a contract for the UFC, step in the cage, and handle business.”
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