Usman Roasts Covington After 43-Second Loss

Kamaru Usman had no sympathy for Colby Covington after his former rival tapped to Raul Rosas Jr. in 43 seconds at a submission grappling event in Italy this week.

Covington, who left the UFC earlier this year, headlined Hype FC Italy in a 10-minute grappling match against Rosas, a UFC bantamweight who gave up significant size for the short-notice booking. The rising 135-pounder charged forward and locked in a rear-naked choke with little resistance from Covington, drawing swift mockery from multiple fighters including welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.

Usman on Covington's Grappling Performance

Speaking on his Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman said the result was unacceptable given Covington's reputation. "That's not excusable because of your name and the brand that you've built," Usman said, per MMA Fighting. "You could see his face. He was not ready for that level of intensity right away. For a guy that's supposed to be intense, he was not ready for that level of intensity."

Usman acknowledged the differences between wrestling and jiu-jitsu but maintained that someone of Covington's standing should have been better prepared. The two welterweights fought twice in the UFC, with Usman winning both contests before they eventually patched things up outside the cage.

Covington parted with the UFC following a December 2024 loss to Joaquin Buckley and has since competed in Real American Freestyle wrestling. He faces Khamzat Chimaev in a grappling match later this month. Rosas, fresh off a UFC main event victory over Raoni Barcelos, continues his climb toward bantamweight title contention.

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• BJPenn — Kamaru Usman roasts Colby Covington’s 43-second loss to Raul Rosas Jr. as ‘not excusable’