Colby Covington’s momentum took a clear hit in Italy when Raul Rosas Jr. submitted him less than two weeks before his scheduled bout with Khamzat Chimaev. For a fighter still billed as the promotion’s No. 1-ranked name, it was the kind of setback that immediately changes the tone around a major fight week.
The timing matters. Covington had dominated Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 11 in July, but this latest result at Hype Italy offered a very different picture ahead of his planned appearance in RAF Abu Dhabi later in the month. It is one thing to arrive with a reputation; it is another to carry that reputation after being finished so close to a high-profile matchup.
Henry Cejudo: “He ain’t the king of sh*t no more”
Henry Cejudo did not hold back on Pound 4 Pound, using the loss to question whether Covington still belongs at the top end of the conversation. “He gets f*cking taken down, double-legged, this is the whole fight, 40 seconds,” Cejudo said, before adding: “Look at this motherf*cker, and he’s supposed to beat Khamzat Chimaev next f*cking week?”
He then delivered the bluntest assessment of all: “Colby Covington, you ain’t the king of sh*t no more.” That is the sort of line that lands because it speaks to status as much as form. Covington can still answer it with a win, but the performance against Rosas Jr. has made that task far harder.
Usman says the loss was “not excusable”
Kamaru Usman offered a more measured but still damning reaction. “First and foremost, I would say this: That’s not excusable because of your name and the brand that you’ve built,” he said. “It’s not excusable.”
Usman also pointed to the speed and intensity of the finish, saying Rosas Jr. “caught him off guard, got in there, and put him away.” He added: “You could see [Covington’s] face. He was not ready for that level of intensity right away.” For a fighter known for his own pressure and energy, that was a telling criticism.
What it means for Covington now
The obvious question is whether Covington can use the Chimaev fight to erase the noise. Cejudo suggested that a win would make people forget the setback, while also floating the possibility of a rematch with Rosas Jr. Usman, meanwhile, made clear that the loss cannot simply be waved away because of Covington’s name.
What comes next is straightforward: Covington has to respond quickly, because the loss to Raul Rosas Jr. has weakened the aura around him just as he heads into one of the biggest assignments of his run. If he cannot reset against Khamzat Chimaev, the criticism is only going to get louder.
