Usman says Covington's loss to Rosas Jr is 'not excusable' as Cejudo questions Chimaev match

Henry Cejudo asked how Covington is "supposed to beat Khamzat Chimaev next f*cking week" after Raul Rosas Jr submitted him in Rome. They wrestle in Abu Dhabi on 14 November.

Kamaru Usman says Colby Covington's submission loss to Raul Rosas Jr is "not excusable because of your name and the brand that you've built", and Henry Cejudo questioned how Covington can beat Khamzat Chimaev next week.

Rosas Jr, the UFC bantamweight, took Covington down, took his back and submitted him with a rear-naked choke in under 45 seconds in a submission-only match at Hype's show in Rome on Tuesday. Usman, who has two title-fight wins over Covington, discussed the loss with Cejudo on their Pound 4 Pound show.

"He gets f*cking taken down, double-legged, this is the whole fight, 40 seconds," Cejudo said. "Look at this motherf*cker, and he's supposed to beat Khamzat Chimaev next f*cking week?"

"First and foremost, I would say this: That's not excusable because of your name and the brand that you've built," Usman said. "It's not excusable. Now us, real fighters and competitors, we know how difficult and how different they are. Super different."

"Wrestling and jiu-jitsu are completely different," he added. "So Raul Rosas caught him off guard, got in there, and put him away."

Cejudo said: "Colby Covington, you ain't the king of sh*t no more." He later added: "This does hurt. I guess people will get over it. If he's able to come out and beat Khamzat Chimaev, people will forget it, or maybe he'll get a rematch with Raul Rosas, but I think Raul will probably do that sh*t again to him."

"You could see his face," Usman said. "He was not ready for that level of intensity right away. For a guy that's supposed to be intense, he was not ready for that level of intensity."

Covington wrestles Chimaev for the RAF Cruiserweight Crossover Championship at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday 14 November. Before the Rosas Jr match, Covington called Chimaev a "weight bully" and said: "He can't beat me in a wrestling match, he can't beat me in a fight."

READ NEXTHenry Cejudo says UFC should cut Conor McGregor before his final fight: 'I would cut him'Read the next story →

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