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          Covington-Lawler clash official following weigh-in

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          Covington: 'I owe everything to the Navy' (4:15)

          Colby Covington has deep family ties to the Navy, which prompted him to spend a week with the Marines and Navy. (4:15)

          • Marc RaimondiAug 2, 2019, 02:15 PM
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              Marc Raimondi's first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn't his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book "Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling's New World Order Changed America," which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.
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          The future of UFC's vaunted welterweight division will take shape Saturday, and now the main event is official.

          Colby Covington and Robbie Lawler both made weight Friday morning for their headlining bout at UFC Newark. Covington weighed 171 pounds, while Lawler hit the mark at 170. The card is scheduled for Saturday night at the Prudential Center and will air on ESPN.

          If Covington wins, he will get a shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman for the title, according to UFC president Dana White. Covington is ranked No. 4 in ESPN's MMA welterweight rankings.

          Covington (14-1) won the interim welterweight title by beating Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 in June 2018. He has not fought since and was stripped of the interim belt. Covington, 31, has won six fights in a row and has created a buzz for himself with his over-the-top trash talk.

          Lawler (28-13, 1 NC) is coming off two straight losses, though the last one was disputed. Ben Askren got Lawler in a bulldog choke at UFC 235 in March, and referee Herb Dean ruled the bout a submission win when he thought Lawler had become unconscious. Lawler, 37, is a former UFC welterweight champion and likely future UFC Hall of Famer who is known for providing some of the most action-packed bouts in MMA history.

          Two fighters missed weight Friday morning. Cole Williams came in 5 pounds over the welterweight maximum at 176 pounds, while Dong Hyun Ma weighed in at 158, 2 pounds over the lightweight limit.

          Williams will be fined 30 percent of his purse for his bout with Claudio Silva. Ma will be fined 20 percent from his fight against Scott Holtzman.