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MMA

04th Apr 2019

New footage makes clear who was to blame for Usman/Covington casino fracas

Both welterweights were banned from the casino following the melee

Darragh Murphy

Colby Covington isn’t often the innocent party.

Covington is one of the most divisive fighters on the UFC roster due to his trash-talking and instigating ways, and most felt that he must have been responsible for starting the casino fracas with Kamaru Usman last month.

Covington travelled to Las Vegas to be in attendance for Usman’s welterweight title fight against Tyron Woodley and after Usman won the 170lbs belt, there was an incident in a casino which involved his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, and Covington.

The footage that initially surfaced made it difficult to tell how the exchange began but now there is no doubt who was at fault as new video has emerged which shows Abdelaziz confronting Covington and making things physical.

Usman can be seen attempting to restrain Abdelaziz initially before he himself became embroiled in the melee.

There are few individuals in mixed martial arts more polarising than Covington but Abdelaziz is definitely one of them and his actions in the above video will do nothing to help his reputation.

Irish fans will be familiar with Abdelaziz because he also manages Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor’s fiercest rival.

Abdelaziz has also inserted himself in the recent controversial war of words between Nurmagomedov and McGregor, which has seen both men warned about their conduct by the UFC.