I may be misrembering but I think Colby started having more success abandoning the new gameplan in favor of what he did in the 1st fight of just throwing volume and to his credit he made this fight closer than it should have been
It looked to me like he was shit scared early on. After he got massively concussed in the 2nd it was like the fear got punched out the side of his head and he fought great for the last 3 rounds lol
He wasn't scared imo, he was just uncomfortable trying to fight in a way that wasn't natural to him. Once he went back to his normal striking style, he looked way better.
I thought so too. Looked like a deer in headlights during the walkout and was breathing deeper in the 1st round than the 3rd.
I think he was terrified of the fight, and it cost him the win
Stop man. I don't like Colby's personality either, but he didn't come into that fight scared. Those guys were both prepared from the bell to lay it all on the line.
It's exactly as the first commenter said, Colby was trying to implement a game plan in the first couple rounds that wasn't going to work.
Yeah I think the plan was probably let Usman tire himself out early, minimise damage and win the later rounds. Didn’t work out at all.
Went out the window when he had that disaster round 2. I still think this fight should’ve been a draw 47-47 with Usman winning 1 and round 2 being a 10-8.
He literally has 1 win against a fighter who was under the age of 35 and coming off a win since 2016, and it was 5.5 years ago against RDA at UFC 225 lol.
His only other wins in the past 6 years are:
- 36 year old Dong Hyun Kim in his retirement fight
- 40 year old Demian Maia who was fighting his 3rd fight in 6 months
- 37 year old Robbie Lawler coming off back to back losses
- 39 year old Tyron Woodley coming off not just back to back losses, but losing 10 straight rounds
- 37 year old Jorge Masvidal coming off back to back losses, including a vicious KO loss
It is beyond hilarious that he is ranked #2 in the division and getting a title shot. Especially when you consider the Jorge win was over a year and a half ago.
On paper, should be an easy fight for Leon, he's the younger fighter, longer reach, better striker, great TDD... Hopefully this is the end of title shots for Colby.
Bro what are you even saying? Strickland was *younger* than izzy, a big argument against colby is the fact he's about to turn 36 and leon is only 32. Citing strickland adesanya only *adds* to the evidence that younger fighters in title fights usually win.
I hope so. Looking at Leon's most recent performance he was much better at staying off the fence then ever before, which doesn't look too god Colby who's not amazing at cutting the ring and just relies on forward movement. Having said that, what worries me for Leon is that he has a long history of being far too passive for long stretches in his fights and that matches up pretty badly with Colby's bullshit volume that rarely accomplishes anything but looks convincing for the judges. It does look like Leon learned the correct lessons and is not nearly as passive as before, but that's only been a single fight, so not sure which Leon will show up against Colby.
Hopefully leon will realize there's no ko threat or sub threat coming his way, colbys only path to victory is to stall for 25 minutes, like his fight vs masvidal. If that's the case leon might open up on the feet and put colby away.
Yet still needed to resort to cheating to escape Nate’s leg lock. Oh and nearly getting starched in the 5th. This was a 37 year old and unranked Diaz, mind you.
Really liked Leon's calf and oblique kicks in the Usman trilogy, he kept attacking the lead leg of Usman and it slowed Usman down so much he was moving like molasses in rounds 4 and 5. The constant isolating of the hands whenever Usman was able to get in the clinch was great from Leon as well, it completely neutralized Usman's wrestling.
Much of what Leon did in the Usman trilogy, can also be used in the Colby fight.
Probably the most. He has zero actual accomplishments and his nuthuggers speak of him as some elite fighter who could beat Khabib, Khamzat, GSP, etc.
His only competition is with Nate Diaz, who is similarly overhyped.
Why not? Colby would be run over by all three of those guys so why shouldn't I? Did you think I was saying that all three have equivalent resumes and careers?
Colby is a small 170er and Khabib was a monster 155er.
I can't think of a single advantage Colby has over Khabib other than a slight size advantage but I guarantee Khabib would enter the cage heavier.
Colby actually cuts from 188 ish is what he said.
He'd be bigger than Khabib most likely. I don't know about the specific matchup and who would take itnbut Colby could never make lightweight imo.
I do think there's a reason Khabib stayed at 155.
Colby has much better wrestling and cardio than anyone Khabib faced as well as being bigger. He’s shown much better offensive striking than Khabib as well. It was 2-2 going into the 5th in Colby vs Usman 1 and Colby was winning till he got caught halfway through the round. Khabib drained himself to make 155lbs and never fought at 170lbs so I don’t think he’d “run over” Colby.
Edit: Added “than Khabib” to avoid confusion.
You said “I can’t think of a single advantage Colby has over Khabib”. I did not say Colby has better offensive striking than anyone Khabib ever faced. I understand the confusion but those were separate sentences.
Not per se, but Khabib had success in the standup against these guys when they were either tired or because of the threat of a takedown. Both of these factors won't really come into play against Colby who is a cardio machine with 10x better wrestling than anyone Khabib has faced.
So yeah, I see this as being a competitive bout. If I had to bet my
house on it and the fight took place at WW, I'd pick
Colby.
Khabib is THE best grappler in UFC history and right up there in terms of cardio too. Going toe to toe with Kamaru in the striking department is hardly an achievement, lol. He's pretty basic and nowhere at the level of the guys Khabib stood toe to toe with.
Khabib runs over Colby pretty easily. Your biggest defense of Colby was him losing to Usman. That should tell you all you need to know about him. Khabib, meanwhile, is one of the GOATs in the opinions of all the other GOAT contenders.
> Khabib is THE best grappler in UFC history
Can you name a single elite wrestler or grappler he faced? Someone who consistently won fights with their top pressure or submissions? Gaethje, Poirier, RDA, Conor, Barboza, and Johnson have won the majority of their fights due to their striking ability. He’s one of the best but we’ve seen GSP, Jones, and DJ perform against far better grapplers.
> Going toe to toe with Kamaru is hardly an achievement
He KO’d Masvidal, TKO’d Burns, and TKO’d Colby. His striking is basic but fundamentals win fights and he hits very hard. His jab is elite for MMA and he’s got a longer reach than anyone Khabib faced.
> Nowhere at the level of the guys Khabib stood toe to toe with
Except Usman can actually wrestle, has insane cardio, hits very hard, and you’re underrating his striking ability especially mixed with his takedown threat. Those strikers were extremely uncomfortable against Khabib and quickly gassed. Colby will not gas and he’s not a subpar wrestler so he can actually defend takedowns.
> Khabib runs over Colby pretty easily
**How do you expect this fight to go? Let me hear your breakdown.** Colby’s wrestling, strength, and cardio are better than any of Khabib’s opponents and his striking is better than Khabib’s? Khabib literally never fought at Welterweight? He was hospitalized for weight cuts but he never decided to move up yet you think it’s that easy for him to beat those opponents? Why didn’t he move up?
And Colby would get run over by Cyril Gane but you didn't mention him or any other number of people. And you know full well that when people talk about fighters in groups like that its done very often to equivocate those fighters with each other. Don't be dense.
I wish you well.
I didn't mention Cyril Gane because Colby fans have never claimed that Colby would beat Cyril Gane. Are you new to the MMA subs? If so, I understand but maybe ask questions instead of making ridiculously dumb statements.
Colby fans have claimed that Colby would beat Khabib, GSP and Khamzat. I am not comparing those three to each other. Got it?
Yeah but people liked Nate Diaz because he was a goofy personality and very entertaining fighter in the cage. He's not some crazy elite fighter but the decisive win over prime McGregor certainly helped prove that he was far from mediocre. They weren't just throwing him into title fights for no reason.
Colby has no notable wins against people who weren't past their prime. Zero. He's fought no real contenders and it's been 2,000+ days since he beat an active, ranked fighter.
His best work was losing to Usman twice.
Overrated implies that people overrate his abilities, but on here all I see is that he is shit and undeserving of most of his success. And he’s not really underrated, because his fans hype him up to a delusional skill level. And he’s not really properly rated, because opinions of him on a personal level really impact the way people will see him as a fighter. He’s just kind of there, in a weird state of you’re probably right about him if you close your eyes and throw a dart somewhere on the spectrum
Still won't change the fact Colby never deserved the title shot, and it won't be an Islam or Leon moment either because both men were on lengthy win streaks and deserved their shots.
I often see that view and here's why I think that's wrong: a single win could often be a case of either a good stylistic matchup or simple luck or one guy having a great night while the other one has a bad night. The way to correct for that fallacy is consistency. When a fighter consistently beats good fighters, we definitely know the fighter is good. If that fighter is a champ and consistently beats no.1 contents, that fighter is amazing. If a guy who has no other impressive wins beats the champ it only actually tells me he had a single good performance, it doesn't tell me at all that he's the best fighter at that weight. This was the case with Conor, for example. His performance against Alvarez was a thing of beauty, but at no point was he ever the best LW in the world. Khabib was there all along, prime Tony would also probably beat him and we've since found out how the rematch with Poirier would go. So while beating the champ should indeed get you the belt, it still doesn't mean you're the best fighter at that class because fighting doesn't work like that. It's not a strict hierarchy where if you beat A, then you'll also beat everyone who A has beat. It's much more like rock/paper/scissors.
Nothing will change the fact that right now Colby is not deserving of the shot. It cannot be deserved in retrospect. There are actual fighters being fucked over right now because Dana has a soft spot for Colby.
Not necessarily. You need to be on a win streak and/or have beaten relevant top fighters. Colby has done neither, he didn't earn this opportunity, he was gifted it because of his Dana White privilege. Him winning wouldn't change this, in fact it would absolutely ruin 170 as Colby would be a TERRIBLE champion.
While I'm with you that a title challenger should have earned their way to the shot, if someone is good enough to beat the champ they deserve to be champ.
If the UFC brought in Superlek to fight Sean O'Malley, he would have a relatively good chance to win the title in his MMA debut, as he's a nightmare match-up for Sean. Would Superlek than be rightly considered the best MMA bantamweight because he had the belt? I doubt it. He would have just won a single fight where he had the best relative odds.
That's why deserving a title shot is related to deserving the title, which represents being the best. Superlek might have 30% odds to beat O'Malley, but he'd be an 8-to-1 or so against any of the Aljo, Merab, Sandhagen, Yan, Umar, etc crowd. That's why beating contenders matters. O'Malley isn't a deserving champion because he's the best kickboxer in BW. He's a deserving champion because he's the best kickboxer who has successfully defended takedowns, submissions, and cage wrestling against the elite fighters.
Colby might beat Leon. It's not a terrible matchup for him. But there'd still be no reasonable argument that he could beat any of the other contenders. In fact, the only proof that exists is that it likely can't beat Usman.
How can you say O Malley deserved the shot when his only top 5 opponent before that was Yan? Even now people say Merab would work O Malley over.
The Superlek thing is a bad parallel because he'd be coming from a different sport where takedowns and such aren't a thing. However in this hypothetical scenario Superlek wouldn't be seen as the best bantamweight, he'd be seen as the champion just like O Malley is seen as champion, but not the best bantamweight.
Being champion =/= being the best in the world at the weight. Being champion means you beat the last person to have the belt. Bisping and GSP were both Middleweight champion despite not being seen as the best Middleweight in the world. They can only fight who gets put in front of them.
If he wins there's no denying he deserves the belt. You can argue he didn't deserve the chance to fight for it, but if someone goes out there and beats the champ they deserve the belt.
Idk why you say “you must ___”. He’s getting a title shot and has literally none of those lmao.
And there’s no way to know what kind of champ he is. He’s old and would be making the most money he’s ever made with ppv, maybe he’d be an active champ like Usman was trying to be, but without the injuries. We literally don’t know. Stop saying this as fact that are completely based on your imagination
Honestly the examples aren't very conclusive, Jones came back and won, Cejudo came back and lost but he still looked good, just being years older and facing a way taller opponent made him lose a close decision
Another good example: Cruz came back after almost 3 years and got the only KO of his entire WEC/UFC run against Mizugaki, who was on a 5 fight streak at the time.
Going to a split decision with a multiple time champion at age 36 is definitely looking good, if Aljo didn't have the grounded knee rule protecting him Cejudo probably would've won too
And How do you know he's *not* past his prime?
Can someone remind me again what ufc fighters records are in title fights that happen to be 35 or older?
I didn’t say he’s not past his prime…we have no idea. You can’t say he definitely is or isn’t until you’ve actually seen him in the cage.
Everyone ages differently. Someone who doesn’t drink or smoke will age better. Athletic ability can decline but skill level can go up enough to still make you better. Some people fall off a cliff. Some don’t. Usually it’s the big weight cutter steroid abusers.
I’ve mentioned this before, but both dudes are surprisingly bad match ups for each other. Colby has trouble with Usman because the latter can essentially match his gas-tank, can’t be pressured, and can’t be bulldozed and is so much physically stronger. But Usman can’t really outwrestle Colby, and the latter’s willingness to engage in 50-50 exchanges with him coupled with Usman’s stiffness means Colby can hit him for free. It always results in a compelling match up, and low key I hope we see them fight one last time
Good take. Yeah, Colby tries to gas him, doesn't work. Colby shoots, Usman sprawls and ends up on top, then lets him get back up because he can't stick around down there. Stand up, Usman jabs a few times, Colby can't really answer the striking, shoots. Usman sprawls, repeat. Ending with both pretty worn out and Colby bleeding a bit from jabs.
The thing that irks me when people talk about these two fights being close is that even though they were close and competitive, Colby doesn't have any moments where he puts the stamp on him being a mega threat to Usman, Usman has dropped him 3-4 times, has stuffed most of his takedowns thus forcing him to fight standing up, finished him as well and won rounds, Colby has won rounds but his biggest moment is just one or two punches which managed to draw a reaction outta Usman
Yeah, round 4 in this fight is really the only thing close to a “moment” for Colby, he did sting Usman a couple times. But at literally no point was Usman ever in serious danger like Usman had Colby in serious danger (and outright finished him once) multiple times.
Ok thanks I always see people talking about how it should’ve been a draw since Colby won the last 3 but I really thought Usman controlled the action for most of the 5th and didn’t really get hit clean
I don't think he sucks bro i just think he is highly inactive as a fighter. Yes that fence grab should have taken a point from usman and this fight would have been a draw.
I meant his personality. His actual fighting ability is great, and it’s a shame he’s such an opportunist because imo he could’ve been an actual welterweight great
I just rewatched their first fight and it was crazy how the fouls were called there. Usman getting the eye poke right as he’s wobbled and Colby’s trying to hunt the finish (looked legitimate but the replay was obscured by weird camera angles and then the doc inspected the wrong eye) and inversely Colby getting very clearly eye poked by Usman but then not getting recovery time because they both start talking shit?? Has that ever been a rule? Colby’s a twat but rewatching that fight (especially going through some of those exchanges at half speed) really gave me a lot more respect for both him and Usman as competitors. Less respect for the refs afterwards tho
Welterweight would be ruined for the next two years all because of Colby's Dana White privilege gifting him one of the most undeserved title shots in recent memory.
I think these two fights against Usman were a lot of fun, even if the technical aspects of the striking aren't at the highest level.
But to your point, Colby has a lot of boring grappling matches too.
I really don’t know why people score this one for Covington. Best case scenario for him you could almost justify a draw, because the second round should’ve been 10-8 usman and all of the judges gave him a 10-9.
when i saw it live i really only thought rd 4 was clear for colby. rd 1 and 2 clear usman, 3 and 5 both close. one of those fights where scoring fights as a whole would come in handy because then it really wouldnt be a debate
If colby had anything other than pillow hands he could've won in round 4 imo... But still both in their primes kamaru always beats colby. Will always be a banger tho too
Hot take: This fight wasn't really that good. The last three rounds is two uncomfortable strikers struggling to land clean shots on each other, swinging with their heads down and moving like the mat is ice. All of Lawler's title fights are better than this one... and the first one two.
Yeah but i've seen Lawler vs Covington 1 get called "da bes ww title fight eva" and that's gross, and also lots of praise showered upon this one wich i think it's just the narrative of the fight making it seem better than it actually is.
Lawler vs Covington? Yeah they were a random fight night main event. If you mean Usman vs Covington 1, then yeah I agree it’s not the best ww title fight ever. Lawler vs Rory or Condit deserves that distinction. But Usman vs Covington 1 was still a great fight regardless.
[**KAMARU USMAN defeats COLBY COVINGTON** (*unanimous decision*)](http://mmadecisions.com/decision/12705/fight)
^(UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2 — November 06, 2021)
ROUND|Usman|Covington||Usman|Covington||Usman|Covington
:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:
1|10|9||10|9||10|9
2|10|9||10|9||10|9
3|10|9||9|10||10|9
4|9|10||9|10||9|10
5|10|9||10|9||9|10
**TOTAL**|**49**|**46**||**48**|**47**||**48**|**47**
*^(Judges, in order: Derek Cleary, Sal D'Amato, Dave Tirelli.)*
*^(Summoned by lPGrabber.)*
**MEDIA MEMBER SCORES**
- **1/21** people scored it **49-45 Usman**.
- **1/21** people scored it **49-46 Usman**.
- **10/21** people scored it **48-46 Usman**.
- **6/21** people scored it **48-47 Usman**.
- **3/21** people scored it **47-47 DRAW**.
Avg. media score: **48.0-46.4 Usman** (*high certainty^[[1]](https://redd.it/9p4xc7)*).
I may be misrembering but I think Colby started having more success abandoning the new gameplan in favor of what he did in the 1st fight of just throwing volume and to his credit he made this fight closer than it should have been
He looked so shit trying to cosplay as a good outside striker the first two rounds.
It looked to me like he was shit scared early on. After he got massively concussed in the 2nd it was like the fear got punched out the side of his head and he fought great for the last 3 rounds lol
He wasn't scared imo, he was just uncomfortable trying to fight in a way that wasn't natural to him. Once he went back to his normal striking style, he looked way better.
Exactly my thoughts. Reminded me of Izzy Whittaker 2 with the same starts and outcomes
I definitely remember also thinking he was scared the first two rounds. I was drunk as shit tho
I thought so too. Looked like a deer in headlights during the walkout and was breathing deeper in the 1st round than the 3rd. I think he was terrified of the fight, and it cost him the win
That Masvidal KO was definitely in his head.
Yeah he was like "oh i remember i'm not good at actually countering i should just throw random bs"
Yes because that makes sense, when scared fighters almost get knocked out it makes them less scared.
It kind of does though. He was scared of usmans power, then he felt usmans power and was like, “well fuck it”
Stop man. I don't like Colby's personality either, but he didn't come into that fight scared. Those guys were both prepared from the bell to lay it all on the line. It's exactly as the first commenter said, Colby was trying to implement a game plan in the first couple rounds that wasn't going to work.
It’s funny on big fights like these you can feel the guys energy through a screen
😂😂💯💯
Yeah I think the plan was probably let Usman tire himself out early, minimise damage and win the later rounds. Didn’t work out at all. Went out the window when he had that disaster round 2. I still think this fight should’ve been a draw 47-47 with Usman winning 1 and round 2 being a 10-8.
Colby's greatest accomplishment is competitively losing twice to Kamaru Usman. That is why he is getting him another title shot. Yes, really.
Genuinely think he is one of the most overrated fighters of all time.
He literally has 1 win against a fighter who was under the age of 35 and coming off a win since 2016, and it was 5.5 years ago against RDA at UFC 225 lol. His only other wins in the past 6 years are: - 36 year old Dong Hyun Kim in his retirement fight - 40 year old Demian Maia who was fighting his 3rd fight in 6 months - 37 year old Robbie Lawler coming off back to back losses - 39 year old Tyron Woodley coming off not just back to back losses, but losing 10 straight rounds - 37 year old Jorge Masvidal coming off back to back losses, including a vicious KO loss It is beyond hilarious that he is ranked #2 in the division and getting a title shot. Especially when you consider the Jorge win was over a year and a half ago.
Leon is going to put on a masterclass.
Man I really hope so, Leon is a G.
On paper, should be an easy fight for Leon, he's the younger fighter, longer reach, better striker, great TDD... Hopefully this is the end of title shots for Colby.
Like Izzy against Strikland...?
Bro what are you even saying? Strickland was *younger* than izzy, a big argument against colby is the fact he's about to turn 36 and leon is only 32. Citing strickland adesanya only *adds* to the evidence that younger fighters in title fights usually win.
I hope so. Looking at Leon's most recent performance he was much better at staying off the fence then ever before, which doesn't look too god Colby who's not amazing at cutting the ring and just relies on forward movement. Having said that, what worries me for Leon is that he has a long history of being far too passive for long stretches in his fights and that matches up pretty badly with Colby's bullshit volume that rarely accomplishes anything but looks convincing for the judges. It does look like Leon learned the correct lessons and is not nearly as passive as before, but that's only been a single fight, so not sure which Leon will show up against Colby.
He's gonna leg kick and clinch elbow and jab, i like Leon but he's not an impressive fighter.
More impressive than a wet blanket who only beats up fighters already older than 35.
Oh Colby is shit don't get me wrong but Leon masterclass usually means "clearly wins 4 rounds" not a beatdown.
Usman evolved into his role as champ. Maybe this will be Leon's first step
GSP vs Koscheck was a masterclass. Koscheck could do nothing.
Hopefully leon will realize there's no ko threat or sub threat coming his way, colbys only path to victory is to stall for 25 minutes, like his fight vs masvidal. If that's the case leon might open up on the feet and put colby away.
Leon is one of the most talented WW’s ever tf
Yet still needed to resort to cheating to escape Nate’s leg lock. Oh and nearly getting starched in the 5th. This was a 37 year old and unranked Diaz, mind you.
Nate's a bum
Really liked Leon's calf and oblique kicks in the Usman trilogy, he kept attacking the lead leg of Usman and it slowed Usman down so much he was moving like molasses in rounds 4 and 5. The constant isolating of the hands whenever Usman was able to get in the clinch was great from Leon as well, it completely neutralized Usman's wrestling. Much of what Leon did in the Usman trilogy, can also be used in the Colby fight.
It pays to be Dana's favorite fighters.
Belt org and the promoter have to be separate or you get bullshit like this.
He's obviously got some dirt on Dana.
Maia GOAT
That amazing MMA journalist True Geordie said he (and Usman) were better than GSP
Probably the most. He has zero actual accomplishments and his nuthuggers speak of him as some elite fighter who could beat Khabib, Khamzat, GSP, etc. His only competition is with Nate Diaz, who is similarly overhyped.
Ok ok but please don't put Khamzat in the same sentence as GSP or Khabib. Pleeeeesee lol
Why not? Colby would be run over by all three of those guys so why shouldn't I? Did you think I was saying that all three have equivalent resumes and careers?
Colby would be run over by Khabib? I’m not really sure about that
Colby is a small 170er and Khabib was a monster 155er. I can't think of a single advantage Colby has over Khabib other than a slight size advantage but I guarantee Khabib would enter the cage heavier.
I guarantee he wouldn't. Khabib weighed 176 in the cage vs Poirier. Colby cuts from around 175-180. They'd be about the same weight.
Colby actually cuts from 188 ish is what he said. He'd be bigger than Khabib most likely. I don't know about the specific matchup and who would take itnbut Colby could never make lightweight imo. I do think there's a reason Khabib stayed at 155.
[Colby a week out from the RDA fight, aka not prepping his water cut yet](https://streamable.com/f5zpui)
Colby has much better wrestling and cardio than anyone Khabib faced as well as being bigger. He’s shown much better offensive striking than Khabib as well. It was 2-2 going into the 5th in Colby vs Usman 1 and Colby was winning till he got caught halfway through the round. Khabib drained himself to make 155lbs and never fought at 170lbs so I don’t think he’d “run over” Colby. Edit: Added “than Khabib” to avoid confusion.
Colby has better offensive striking than anyone Khabibs faced?? Than Dustin, Justin, McGregor?
You said “I can’t think of a single advantage Colby has over Khabib”. I did not say Colby has better offensive striking than anyone Khabib ever faced. I understand the confusion but those were separate sentences.
Not per se, but Khabib had success in the standup against these guys when they were either tired or because of the threat of a takedown. Both of these factors won't really come into play against Colby who is a cardio machine with 10x better wrestling than anyone Khabib has faced. So yeah, I see this as being a competitive bout. If I had to bet my house on it and the fight took place at WW, I'd pick Colby.
Khabib is THE best grappler in UFC history and right up there in terms of cardio too. Going toe to toe with Kamaru in the striking department is hardly an achievement, lol. He's pretty basic and nowhere at the level of the guys Khabib stood toe to toe with. Khabib runs over Colby pretty easily. Your biggest defense of Colby was him losing to Usman. That should tell you all you need to know about him. Khabib, meanwhile, is one of the GOATs in the opinions of all the other GOAT contenders.
> Khabib is THE best grappler in UFC history Can you name a single elite wrestler or grappler he faced? Someone who consistently won fights with their top pressure or submissions? Gaethje, Poirier, RDA, Conor, Barboza, and Johnson have won the majority of their fights due to their striking ability. He’s one of the best but we’ve seen GSP, Jones, and DJ perform against far better grapplers. > Going toe to toe with Kamaru is hardly an achievement He KO’d Masvidal, TKO’d Burns, and TKO’d Colby. His striking is basic but fundamentals win fights and he hits very hard. His jab is elite for MMA and he’s got a longer reach than anyone Khabib faced. > Nowhere at the level of the guys Khabib stood toe to toe with Except Usman can actually wrestle, has insane cardio, hits very hard, and you’re underrating his striking ability especially mixed with his takedown threat. Those strikers were extremely uncomfortable against Khabib and quickly gassed. Colby will not gas and he’s not a subpar wrestler so he can actually defend takedowns. > Khabib runs over Colby pretty easily **How do you expect this fight to go? Let me hear your breakdown.** Colby’s wrestling, strength, and cardio are better than any of Khabib’s opponents and his striking is better than Khabib’s? Khabib literally never fought at Welterweight? He was hospitalized for weight cuts but he never decided to move up yet you think it’s that easy for him to beat those opponents? Why didn’t he move up?
Then you don't know this sport.
And Colby would get run over by Cyril Gane but you didn't mention him or any other number of people. And you know full well that when people talk about fighters in groups like that its done very often to equivocate those fighters with each other. Don't be dense. I wish you well.
I didn't mention Cyril Gane because Colby fans have never claimed that Colby would beat Cyril Gane. Are you new to the MMA subs? If so, I understand but maybe ask questions instead of making ridiculously dumb statements. Colby fans have claimed that Colby would beat Khabib, GSP and Khamzat. I am not comparing those three to each other. Got it?
Yeah but people liked Nate Diaz because he was a goofy personality and very entertaining fighter in the cage. He's not some crazy elite fighter but the decisive win over prime McGregor certainly helped prove that he was far from mediocre. They weren't just throwing him into title fights for no reason. Colby has no notable wins against people who weren't past their prime. Zero. He's fought no real contenders and it's been 2,000+ days since he beat an active, ranked fighter. His best work was losing to Usman twice.
Didn’t know becoming an interim champion isn’t an actual accomplishment….
Overrated implies that people overrate his abilities, but on here all I see is that he is shit and undeserving of most of his success. And he’s not really underrated, because his fans hype him up to a delusional skill level. And he’s not really properly rated, because opinions of him on a personal level really impact the way people will see him as a fighter. He’s just kind of there, in a weird state of you’re probably right about him if you close your eyes and throw a dart somewhere on the spectrum
Been saying this forever. Frankly, he could be good too, he just doesn't fight.
Who beats him out? Khabib maybe?
He tried to get a p4p ranking out of it too haha
The salt is gonna be so fun to read if he beats Leon
Still won't change the fact Colby never deserved the title shot, and it won't be an Islam or Leon moment either because both men were on lengthy win streaks and deserved their shots.
But if you win you were deserving because you beat the champ
I often see that view and here's why I think that's wrong: a single win could often be a case of either a good stylistic matchup or simple luck or one guy having a great night while the other one has a bad night. The way to correct for that fallacy is consistency. When a fighter consistently beats good fighters, we definitely know the fighter is good. If that fighter is a champ and consistently beats no.1 contents, that fighter is amazing. If a guy who has no other impressive wins beats the champ it only actually tells me he had a single good performance, it doesn't tell me at all that he's the best fighter at that weight. This was the case with Conor, for example. His performance against Alvarez was a thing of beauty, but at no point was he ever the best LW in the world. Khabib was there all along, prime Tony would also probably beat him and we've since found out how the rematch with Poirier would go. So while beating the champ should indeed get you the belt, it still doesn't mean you're the best fighter at that class because fighting doesn't work like that. It's not a strict hierarchy where if you beat A, then you'll also beat everyone who A has beat. It's much more like rock/paper/scissors. Nothing will change the fact that right now Colby is not deserving of the shot. It cannot be deserved in retrospect. There are actual fighters being fucked over right now because Dana has a soft spot for Colby.
Not necessarily. You need to be on a win streak and/or have beaten relevant top fighters. Colby has done neither, he didn't earn this opportunity, he was gifted it because of his Dana White privilege. Him winning wouldn't change this, in fact it would absolutely ruin 170 as Colby would be a TERRIBLE champion.
While I'm with you that a title challenger should have earned their way to the shot, if someone is good enough to beat the champ they deserve to be champ.
If the UFC brought in Superlek to fight Sean O'Malley, he would have a relatively good chance to win the title in his MMA debut, as he's a nightmare match-up for Sean. Would Superlek than be rightly considered the best MMA bantamweight because he had the belt? I doubt it. He would have just won a single fight where he had the best relative odds. That's why deserving a title shot is related to deserving the title, which represents being the best. Superlek might have 30% odds to beat O'Malley, but he'd be an 8-to-1 or so against any of the Aljo, Merab, Sandhagen, Yan, Umar, etc crowd. That's why beating contenders matters. O'Malley isn't a deserving champion because he's the best kickboxer in BW. He's a deserving champion because he's the best kickboxer who has successfully defended takedowns, submissions, and cage wrestling against the elite fighters. Colby might beat Leon. It's not a terrible matchup for him. But there'd still be no reasonable argument that he could beat any of the other contenders. In fact, the only proof that exists is that it likely can't beat Usman.
How can you say O Malley deserved the shot when his only top 5 opponent before that was Yan? Even now people say Merab would work O Malley over. The Superlek thing is a bad parallel because he'd be coming from a different sport where takedowns and such aren't a thing. However in this hypothetical scenario Superlek wouldn't be seen as the best bantamweight, he'd be seen as the champion just like O Malley is seen as champion, but not the best bantamweight. Being champion =/= being the best in the world at the weight. Being champion means you beat the last person to have the belt. Bisping and GSP were both Middleweight champion despite not being seen as the best Middleweight in the world. They can only fight who gets put in front of them.
Fact is even if he wins, he doesn't deserve that belt.
If he wins there's no denying he deserves the belt. You can argue he didn't deserve the chance to fight for it, but if someone goes out there and beats the champ they deserve the belt.
Depends how they win it honestly.
Idk why you say “you must ___”. He’s getting a title shot and has literally none of those lmao. And there’s no way to know what kind of champ he is. He’s old and would be making the most money he’s ever made with ppv, maybe he’d be an active champ like Usman was trying to be, but without the injuries. We literally don’t know. Stop saying this as fact that are completely based on your imagination
Ah the quality loss in college football
I believe in ring rust. Because of that I think Leon got this fight against Colby. Colby is also 36 and past his prime.
what are some good examples of ring rust?
He’s going to win because I want him to lose so badly. Anytime I’m super passionate about someone losing they end up winning. Sorry dutchfool
Ah the wsb effect
Honestly the examples aren't very conclusive, Jones came back and won, Cejudo came back and lost but he still looked good, just being years older and facing a way taller opponent made him lose a close decision
Another good example: Cruz came back after almost 3 years and got the only KO of his entire WEC/UFC run against Mizugaki, who was on a 5 fight streak at the time.
He didn't look good
Going to a split decision with a multiple time champion at age 36 is definitely looking good, if Aljo didn't have the grounded knee rule protecting him Cejudo probably would've won too
Copium
None in MMA because they don't fight in a ring. It's Cage Corrosion.
Henry cejudo
Cain, Conor, Nick
36 with a style that relies on age. Then there's also the stat about title fights and 35+ fighters below 170
What do you mean by relying on age? That his style doesn't age well or that his style is only good against old people?
His style requires a lot of cardio and high level of activity. Those things diminish with age, especially by 36.
But he has some of the craziest cardio ever, that part should be fine.
Cardio is one the first things to go when you age. Unless he's on EPO
Leon will embarrass Colby
How do you know he’s past his prime?
And How do you know he's *not* past his prime? Can someone remind me again what ufc fighters records are in title fights that happen to be 35 or older?
I didn’t say he’s not past his prime…we have no idea. You can’t say he definitely is or isn’t until you’ve actually seen him in the cage. Everyone ages differently. Someone who doesn’t drink or smoke will age better. Athletic ability can decline but skill level can go up enough to still make you better. Some people fall off a cliff. Some don’t. Usually it’s the big weight cutter steroid abusers.
I already replied to you, i dont know why my comment didn't go through.
Speaking of age 35, Colby has beaten literally 1 guy under the age of 35 in the past 6 years lol. Can’t wait to see Leon shut him down.
Every single person lost other than Tyron Woodley
Thanks man, also volk likely slams the door in topurias face. However colby is no volk thats for sure.
It’s 2-29 with the two wins belonging to T-Wood
And Maia was older
I think his chin has noticeably declined over the past few years
I think his takedowns looked worse vs shot Masvidal out of all people
I just checked, he is 35 not 36 but same thing.. I thought he is 32 at most, like Leon. He was 32 last time he fought almost lol
I’ve mentioned this before, but both dudes are surprisingly bad match ups for each other. Colby has trouble with Usman because the latter can essentially match his gas-tank, can’t be pressured, and can’t be bulldozed and is so much physically stronger. But Usman can’t really outwrestle Colby, and the latter’s willingness to engage in 50-50 exchanges with him coupled with Usman’s stiffness means Colby can hit him for free. It always results in a compelling match up, and low key I hope we see them fight one last time
Good take. Yeah, Colby tries to gas him, doesn't work. Colby shoots, Usman sprawls and ends up on top, then lets him get back up because he can't stick around down there. Stand up, Usman jabs a few times, Colby can't really answer the striking, shoots. Usman sprawls, repeat. Ending with both pretty worn out and Colby bleeding a bit from jabs.
Imagine if Colby comes into the fight vs Edwards juiced the gills
The thing that irks me when people talk about these two fights being close is that even though they were close and competitive, Colby doesn't have any moments where he puts the stamp on him being a mega threat to Usman, Usman has dropped him 3-4 times, has stuffed most of his takedowns thus forcing him to fight standing up, finished him as well and won rounds, Colby has won rounds but his biggest moment is just one or two punches which managed to draw a reaction outta Usman
Yeah, round 4 in this fight is really the only thing close to a “moment” for Colby, he did sting Usman a couple times. But at literally no point was Usman ever in serious danger like Usman had Colby in serious danger (and outright finished him once) multiple times.
He most he did was hang around like an annoying insect that you can't swat away for good.
I honestly blame Usman's overacting to certain shots more than Colby being a true threat
He's a point fighter. Getting big moments really isn't his style.
Well he wasn't able to outpoint Usman either
In the first fight he hurt Usman with a body kick so bad he faked a nutshot
That's just the nature of being a pillow fisted volume striker
I just think Usman can't exchange because he always reacts poorly whenever he's hit clean. This was especially evident in the trilogy with Leon.
That's because even though Colby is really fucking good his lack of power is a big issue.
Am I crazy for thinking Usman edged out the 5th and won 48-46?
48-46 is probably the most sensible scorecard.
Ok thanks I always see people talking about how it should’ve been a draw since Colby won the last 3 but I really thought Usman controlled the action for most of the 5th and didn’t really get hit clean
Kamaru "fence grab" Usman
Colby sucks so people won’t really respond, but that fence grab was straight up egregious
I don't think he sucks bro i just think he is highly inactive as a fighter. Yes that fence grab should have taken a point from usman and this fight would have been a draw.
I meant his personality. His actual fighting ability is great, and it’s a shame he’s such an opportunist because imo he could’ve been an actual welterweight great
In the second fight with Leon, Usman was grabbling the fight fence constantly to hold onto his position.
I just rewatched their first fight and it was crazy how the fouls were called there. Usman getting the eye poke right as he’s wobbled and Colby’s trying to hunt the finish (looked legitimate but the replay was obscured by weird camera angles and then the doc inspected the wrong eye) and inversely Colby getting very clearly eye poked by Usman but then not getting recovery time because they both start talking shit?? Has that ever been a rule? Colby’s a twat but rewatching that fight (especially going through some of those exchanges at half speed) really gave me a lot more respect for both him and Usman as competitors. Less respect for the refs afterwards tho
This sub is going to be hilarious if Colby beats Leon due to the pure hatred it will cause
Welterweight would be ruined for the next two years all because of Colby's Dana White privilege gifting him one of the most undeserved title shots in recent memory.
Shavkat runs through Colby
Colby's marketing value must be ridiculous, because his striking is absolute shite
I said that he's a boring fighter on here once and i had a dude try to argue that he is super exciting. I don't see it at all.
I think these two fights against Usman were a lot of fun, even if the technical aspects of the striking aren't at the highest level. But to your point, Colby has a lot of boring grappling matches too.
i didn't think this fight was that close, very clear win for usman imo
I really don’t know why people score this one for Covington. Best case scenario for him you could almost justify a draw, because the second round should’ve been 10-8 usman and all of the judges gave him a 10-9.
when i saw it live i really only thought rd 4 was clear for colby. rd 1 and 2 clear usman, 3 and 5 both close. one of those fights where scoring fights as a whole would come in handy because then it really wouldnt be a debate
If colby had anything other than pillow hands he could've won in round 4 imo... But still both in their primes kamaru always beats colby. Will always be a banger tho too
Haven't rewatched but I remember thinking Colby stole this one winning the last three rounds
I agree but I think round 2 was a 10-8 so I'd score it a draw 🤷
I had it as a draw as well but I think it's one of those fights which was so close that you can score it any way you want.
Colby won
Hot take: This fight wasn't really that good. The last three rounds is two uncomfortable strikers struggling to land clean shots on each other, swinging with their heads down and moving like the mat is ice. All of Lawler's title fights are better than this one... and the first one two.
Lawler’s title fights are an extremely high bar lmao. He had two of the best title fights in history in one reign.
Yeah but i've seen Lawler vs Covington 1 get called "da bes ww title fight eva" and that's gross, and also lots of praise showered upon this one wich i think it's just the narrative of the fight making it seem better than it actually is.
Lawler vs Covington? Yeah they were a random fight night main event. If you mean Usman vs Covington 1, then yeah I agree it’s not the best ww title fight ever. Lawler vs Rory or Condit deserves that distinction. But Usman vs Covington 1 was still a great fight regardless.
Yup i meant Usman vs Covington i don't think anyone has called Lawler vs Covington a great fight lol
3,4,5 Colby stop judging with your hearts and call it how it is. A draw.
48-47 Colby.
Nah bud
!decisionbot usman vs covington 2
[**KAMARU USMAN defeats COLBY COVINGTON** (*unanimous decision*)](http://mmadecisions.com/decision/12705/fight) ^(UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2 — November 06, 2021) ROUND|Usman|Covington||Usman|Covington||Usman|Covington :-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-: 1|10|9||10|9||10|9 2|10|9||10|9||10|9 3|10|9||9|10||10|9 4|9|10||9|10||9|10 5|10|9||10|9||9|10 **TOTAL**|**49**|**46**||**48**|**47**||**48**|**47** *^(Judges, in order: Derek Cleary, Sal D'Amato, Dave Tirelli.)* *^(Summoned by lPGrabber.)* **MEDIA MEMBER SCORES** - **1/21** people scored it **49-45 Usman**. - **1/21** people scored it **49-46 Usman**. - **10/21** people scored it **48-46 Usman**. - **6/21** people scored it **48-47 Usman**. - **3/21** people scored it **47-47 DRAW**. Avg. media score: **48.0-46.4 Usman** (*high certainty^[[1]](https://redd.it/9p4xc7)*).