Video: How can Kamaru Usman not rematch Colby Covington next?

Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, coming off an emphatic knockout of Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261, is in the middle of carving out quite a legacy for himself.

Usman’s second victory over Masvidal represented his fourth consecutive title defense since claiming the belt from Tyron Woodley in March 2019 – a list that also includes Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns. Many people believe Usman’s next move is clear: a rematch with Covington, who was up on at least one judges’ scorecard before he was TKO’d late in the fifth round in one of the most exciting fights of 2019. Since then, Usman has three more title defenses, while Covington rebounded to stop Woodley in their September 2020 clash.

Behind No. 1 contender Covington are fighters who Usman already has defeated (Burns, Masvidal and Leon Edwards) or who haven’t quite entered the conversation for title contention – until now, as it appears Usman would entertain fights with either Michael Chiesa or Vicente Luque.

Are these fresh matchups the way to go, or is the Covington rematch a must? The “Spinning Back Clique” panel of “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Nolan King broke it down with host John Morgan.

You can watch their discussion in the video above, or check out this week’s full episode below.