Colby Covington v. Robbie Lawler set for UFC Newark

Sometimes, a little patience goes a long way. That saying is the exact opposite for Colby Covington. He lost his interim UFC Welterweight Championship by not defending it, and now he’s lost an automatic title opportunity against Kamaru Usman. Most likely leapfrogged by Ben Askren, Covington is losing ground.

With the announcement of his latest opponent, things might have gotten worse for the loudmouthed Covington (14-1). He is set to face former Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Newark, NJ. The news was first broken by ESPN.

Chaos meets Ruthless.#UFCNewark on-sale Friday. pic.twitter.com/x7SsRk8n69

— UFC (@ufc) June 25, 2019

They better install seatbelts in the @prucenter for August 3rd!!! #AmericasChamp is coming to #PrimeTime on @ESPN to defend his @ufc title!!! #GreatAmericanWinningMachine #MAGA #Trump2020 #UFCNewark pic.twitter.com/xJH7iB2w6q

— Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) June 25, 2019

Covington last fought at UFC 225, beating Rafael dos Anjos. For the interim title, Covington was set to face then-champion Tyron Woodley before getting injured. He then played the waiting game with Dana White, not fighting for a whole year.

His latest opponent is not an easy target. Lawler (28-13, 1NC) is on a two-fight losing streak. His last fight was a close and controversial bout to Ben Askren at UFC 235. He is looking for his first win since UFC 214 in 2017. An angry, motivated Lawler can mean trouble for Covington, which is certainly what fans would love to see.

When asked why he took the bout against Lawler, Covington tried to play it cool by telling Ariel Helwani that the UFC needed a main event for that card (last-minute event) and he obliged. Covington also stated he will be defending the title he was stripped of against “the last real champion this division has had” in Lawler.

UFC Newark takes place inside the Prudential Center on August 3rd. Tickets go on sale this Friday at Ticketmaster.com.