Covington: Lawler fight cements my legacy as ‘the best welterweight in the world’

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Colby Covington believes his win over Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 5 cemented his legacy as the best welterweight in the world.

Controversial welterweight Colby Covington put on a career-defining performance against Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 5, dominating ‘Ruthless’ enroute to a unanimous decision win and securing a title shot against current champion Kamaru Usman.

It was a big win for Covington and, although the NCAA Division I wrestler has never won — or defended — the official welterweight title, ‘Chaos’ believes he put on the ‘perfect’ fight against Lawler and cemented his legacy as the best 170-pound fighter in the world.

“Yeah, it went perfect. Given the circumstances and the adversity I had to face in training camp, not being able to train or take contact because I got a nasty cut on my eye two and a half, three weeks before the fight,” Covington told Cole Shelton of MMA News in a recent interview. “I took the fight on four weeks notice, short-notice. So it went perfect, I didn’t get touched. Flawless, perfect fight, you couldn’t ask for a better fighter against a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. A legend in the game, Robbie Lawler, who defended the title four or five times. ‘Fighter of the Year’ candidate. Everyone was scared to fight him and I went out there and dominated him and showed I’m on a different level.”

“It cements my legacy and shows I’m the best welterweight in the world. It shows I’m not just a wrestler and can strike,” he continued. “I set the record for most strikes thrown ever in a UFC fight. I’m in the record books, and that is for all weight classes. No one is ever going to beat my record of 533 strikes thrown. It shows an example. I’m the most well-rounded fighter in the world and there is not a man alive that can deal with what I can put out on the table. Very excited to share it with my team, American Top Team.”

Although no date or venue has been announced, it’s expected that Covington will take on Usman at UFC 244 on November 2 at Madison Square Garden, New York.