NEW YORK — It would be easy to say that Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington traded zings at the UFC 245 press conference on Friday.
But really, Covington was the one doing most of the yapping at the event promoting his main event title fight against welterweight champion Usman on Dec. 14 in Las Vegas, while the divisional king mostly let the insults roll right off him.
Covington, always seeking to one-up his prior performances on the mic, threw everything but the kitchen sink at the champion, accusing him of using EPO and making reference to deceased Blackzilians co-founder Glenn Robinson in an attempt to get a rise out of his future foe.
Usman, for his part, kept the calm-and-collected composure of a man who lets his fists do his talking for him in the cage.
“Everyone knows this is my second title defense,” Covington, the former interim welterweight champion, said. “My last title defense was against the most dangerous guy in the division, Robbie Lawler. You saw what I did to his face, I landed a strikes record on his face. And that’s a guy I liked. Wait until you see what I do with this clown.”
Clad in his red “Make America Great Again” hat, Covington referenced President Donald J. Trump’s expected attendance at UFC 244 on Saturday night, and said he wished he was fighting at MSG, and then dropped his cheating allegation on the champion.
“I was looking forward to fighting this weekend, that’s why the President of the United States is coming out,” Covington said. “But, there’s a reason I’m not fighting this weekend. You might want to ask this guy. He pissed hot. He couldn’t pass a piss test. So that’s the real reason, he had to let the EPO pass out of his system.”
Asked later about the accusations, Usman shrugged them off.
“Can you even read?” Usman asked.
By this point, Covington had made a big show out of, whenever Usman spoke, reading from Donald Trump Jr.’s book, which, like thousands of other products released for conservative audiences this year, is predictably titled “Triggered.”
Usman, though, was far from triggered.
“Everybody always says that they have a chance but what fight have I been in in the UFC that you’ve seen as competitive?” asked Usman.
Covington pivoted back to the drug accusations and said he’d put up $25,000 for Usman to take a test. He backed off when Usman agreed, but only if Covington produced the money on the spot.
Desperate to get a rise out of his foe, Covington, the longtime American Top Team competitor, made cracks about Robinson and the now disbanded Blackzilians, the gym which was ATT’s South Florida rival.
“I know you gave Glenn a heart attack from all those years you were ducking me, so, don’t worry he’ll be watching from hell in Dec. 14,” Covington said.
“Everybody knows the Blackzilians team is notorious for doing steroids. Anthony Johnson, Rashad Evans, Alistair Overeem when he was over there,” he later added. “I have inside information he was doing EPO for two years. That’s a fact. He has no good response, he can’t even defend himself. I think it’s pretty clear he’s on steroids.”
On it went, right up until their staredown. There are six weeks left until UFC 245, and if Friday’s performance was any indication, the event can’t get here fast enough.
Kamaru Usman not triggered by Colby Covington's trolling at UFC 245 press conference
