UFC 268 & Beyond: Legacy
By Eddie Sanchez
UFC 268 is right around the corner on November 6th and it’s going to be a BANGER! Rose Namajunes will rematch Zhang Weili and Michael Chandler will take on Justin Gaethje in two incredibly action-packed matchups that alone would be enough to sell a PPV card.
The true story though is the headliner. The Nigerian Nightmare, Kamaru Usman, will rematch the infamous Colby Covington in what will surely bring high drama and fireworks to the cage.
Kamaru Usman, the number one P4P fighter in the world, is fighting at a world-class level that is seemingly above all others in the sport. This is especially powerful when you consider that Nigeria has three of the top five mixed martial artists in the UFC with Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou ranked 4th and 5th respectively. The MMA community will surely be watching carefully as Colby Covington will likely make the fight week uncomfortable based on the racist-driven tactics that have defined his career.
While both men are capable in the cage, Usman does his part to keep as much of the conversation strictly about the fight, while Colby always has an eye on selling the fight, and in a sense, himself to the fans. Unfortunately, that is the nicest possible way to explain Colby Covington’s behavior outside of the cage. He has verbally attacked LeBron James, supported Donald Trump loudly during the multitude of times he has been in the press for negative reasons, and grossly labeled Black Lives Matter as a terrorist group.
“Black Lives Matter is a complete sham. It’s a joke. They’re taking people that are complete terrorists. These are bad people… [Tyron Woodley] is a communist. He’s a Marxist. He hates America.”
While Colby’s comments over the years have been disgusting personal representations, the UFC and ESPN+ have done little to shy away from letting this be a representation of the sport as a whole. The UFC is of course the main draw on ESPN+, the supplemental subscription-based sports media platform under the ESPN umbrella. They essentially ‘cash the checks,’ if you will.
Dana White, the head of the UFC has not only failed to punish or even condemn this rhetoric, but he has also played into the talk and utilized it on platforms like Twitter and throughout interviews to help it sell a fight. That is why this fight on November 6th is so important.
Kamaru Usman is the number one fighter in the world and yet Colby Covington is garnering much of the pre-fight talk given his brash persona outside of the ring. At a certain point though, if Usman is simply able to dominate, the thought is that he will essentially be forced to go away.
It’s important to recognize that Usman understands the moment and understands the eyes that will be on this match. Look a little closer though and one could argue that he recognizes it a little too much. Similarly to when Conor McGregor was the head and shoulders star in the UFC nearly five years ago, he made multiple attempts to call out Floyd Mayweather for a crossover bout to earn a considerable amount more than he ever did in the UFC. This fight of course happened and many point to that moment as when Conor’s dedication to MMA waned, which can be directed as the reason he has been 1-3 in his last four fights for the UFC.
Usman is taking a stab at making his own noise for a high-earning crossover bout. Through his manager Ali Abdeelaziz, it is claimed that Usman wants to take on Canelo Alvarez, the number one P4P boxer in the world.
“We saw Conor McGregor, a guy who can’t even beat guys in the UFC, he went 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather,” Abdelaziz added. “You have to tell me Kamaru cannot go 12 rounds with Canelo and beat him? This is not a money grab, it’s a fight.”
If you were to ask Kamaru Usman though, he would likely let you know he’s all business. He understands the importance this fight has on his legacy. Likewise, he understands the importance of shutting up the racist Colby Covington a second time – if you recall, he broke his jaw in their first fight.
It’s been long rumored that the UFC will venture to host a PPV event in Africa – and with Kamaru Usman remaining the number one P4P fighter in the world, with two fellow Nigerians in the top 5, this possibility will only grow with a victory on November 6th.
