“I stayed in the same room,” Kamaru Usman reveals ‘CRAZY connection’ with Colby Covington involving Jon Jones

Kamaru Usman last fought Khamzat Chimaev in 2023.

“I stayed in the same room,” Kamaru Usman reveals ‘CRAZY connection’ with Colby Covington involving Jon Jones

Kamaru Usman narrates about the unique connection he share with Jon Jones and Colby Covington (via Imago/Instagram)

The title fights between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington were one to remember in the welterweight division. Do you believe that Usman and Covington were scheduled to fight way earlier in their career? ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ recently revealed the connection he shared with Jon Jones and Colby Covington in his teenage years.

In his recent ‘Pound4Pound’ podcast with Henry Cejudo, Kamaru Usman was reminiscent of the friendship he had with Jon Jones in high school. As such, he unveiled staying at Jones’ room in college where Colby Covington later became roommate with Jones. It was fascinating to Usman that the three contemporary popular UFC fighters shared this connection. Here is what he said:

How crazy is it that me and Jon Jones were friends coming out of high school? So, when Jon Jones goes to college, I go to visit Jon Jones that following year and I stayed in the room that Colby Covington later then stayed the following year when he was roommates with Jon Jones.
Kamaru Usman (via YT-Pound4Pound with Kamaru and Henry)
YouTube video

Further in the podcast, Kamaru Usman shared an instance of booking a fight with ‘Chaos’ in his early MMA career. He accepted to fight ‘Chaos’ as his second professional fight but the fight didn’t come to fruition. As such, he fought Jose Caceres on short notice and lost the fight. Having been on a collision path for years, they finally met in the octagon for the UFC title. As such, they fought twice in the UFC.

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While Kamaru Usman won both the fights and defended his welterweight title, these two fights became an instant classic. Jon Jones coming out of college went on to become the youngest UFC champion and is currently sitting on top as the UFC heavyweight champion. However, his relationship with Covington was tarnished after a scuffle between them.

[related_contender] Related: “Casper the ghost looking Irish kid!” Colby Covington lists ‘three stipulations’ for Ian Garry ahead of potential fight[/related_content]

Current career status of Jon Jones, Kamaru Usman, and Colby Covington

At present, Jon Jones, Kamaru Usman, and Colby Covington all found themselves in a weird spot. Jones won the heavyweight title and hasn’t fought in a year due to an injury. Usman made a short-notice stint at middleweight and lost to Khamzat Chimaev – extending his losing streak to three. Covington lost his third title shot at UFC 296 as a result of a lackluster performance.

Colby Covington-Kamaru Usman-Jon Jones
Colby Covington-Kamaru Usman-Jon Jones (via Fox News/Sky Sports/Eurosports)

Just a few years back all three of them were on top of their fighting careers. Kamaru Usman reigned as the welterweight champion and racked up five title defenses. Jon Jones reigned as the LHW champion and set the record for most title defenses. Covington rose through the 170lbs rankings and won the interim title. However, all three faced difficulty in their careers in 2023 and haven’t fought in 2024.

Since ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ lost two fights to welterweight champion Leon Edwards, he contemplated moving up to middleweight permanently. Covington, although lost embarrassingly to Edwards still hoped to get another title shot. He recently accepted a callout from surging contender Ian Garry. Jones is to return against Stipe Miocic later this year and defend his heavyweight title. Having crossed paths in college days, all three fighters have come a long way.

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