Colby Covington has accused UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman of ducking a fight with him. 

Usman aimed a dig at Covington ahead of his rematch with Jorge Masvidal that will take place at UFC 261 later this month. 

He taunted his welterweight rival for his relative lack of activity following the conclusion of their title fight at UFC 245 in December 2019.

“Show me some activity. Give me a reason,” Usman told ESPN.

"… It’s time for him to show the people that he deserves another chance to fight for the title. You can’t sit back and say, ‘Oh, I beat Tyron Woodley. That’s it. I deserve a shot at the title.’ No. That doesn’t give you a shot at the title."

In a response that pulled no punches, Covington has now replied in typical fashion. 

He tweeted: "Spoken like a true coward who doesn’t want to face the rightful #1 contender. The rankings have chosen and so have the people Marty. Just say the truth: you know you can’t win and you’d rather fight bums like Street Judas for easy pay checks. @USMAN84kg."

Covington (16-2), who trains at MMA Masters, hasn't fought since last September when he beat Tyron Woodley to bounce back from his most recent loss to Usman. 

The former interim champion previously trained at American Top Team with Masvidal, Amanda Nunes and Dustin Poirier, but switched camps after feuding with several of his now former teammates. 

Covington has ripped into Masvidal on several occasions as the pair have exchanged words about a potential fight in the past.

Ultimately the bout did not happen and Masvidal has been booked to face Usman instead, who will look to make his fourth title defence in the main event of UFC 261 on April 21.