Colby Covington vs. Kamaru Usman Negotiations Not Looking Good

It looks like Colby Covington’s plans to ‘cripple’ Kamaru Usman will have to wait.

Covington was expected to be next in line to challenge Usman for the 170-pound strap. However, according to a report from ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, negotiations are not going well. In fact, the UFC is looking at other options. Those options include a different welterweight title fight, and/or a different main event.

The Kamaru Usman v Colby Covington 170 title fight is far from done, multiple sources say. In fact, negotiations have hit a snag and UFC is now looking at other options, sources say. Those options include a different welterweight title fight and/or a different main event.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 5, 2019

The making of this fight has taken many twists and turns over the past few days, so there’s no telling if they end up with it. But right now, it’s not in good standing and other options are being explored. Developing.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 5, 2019

This is for the MSG card on Nov. 2, by the way.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 5, 2019

It will be interesting to see how things shake out when it’s all said and done. A source close to the situation told LowKickMMA late last month that Covington had verbally accepted a fight with Usman, but no bout agreements were issued. It should be noted that Usman has been very clear that Covington wasn’t a lock to be his next opponent for the title.

The UFC’s pay-per-view (PPV) events in New York are always one of their biggest shows of the year. A fight between Covington and Usman would certainly be a worthy main event. However, if that bout ultimately falls through, the UFC will have to put something big together to take its place.

170 pounds is filled with big names such as Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, and Tyron Woodley. Perhaps one of those names could step in to save the day.

Do you think Covington and Usman will fight each other at UFC 244?