Kamaru Usman batters Colby Covington at UFC 245
Nigeria-born Kamaru Usman hits Colby Covington in a mixed martial arts welterweight championship bout at UFC 245, over the weekend, in Las Vegas.
Kamaru Usman sent a bloodied, bleary Colby Covington spiralling to the ground for the second time. Usman then leaped on him and went to work on Covington’s badly injured face, battering his dazed opponent with hammer fists until the referee mercifully intervened.
We all bleed the same. This was also for the “UNITED” States of America!! I’m taking this belt to the whites house @danawhite @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/7Vc4p6stUf
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) December 15, 2019
Although he had to wait until the final minute, Usman settled his very personal feud with his sharply divisive challenger in perhaps the most satisfying way possible.
“This one is not just for me,” Usman said. “This is for the whole entire world right now.”
Usman brutally stopped Covington with 50 seconds left in their bout at UFC 245 on Saturday night, retaining his UFC welterweight belt with a spectacular finish to their grudge match.
Usman (16-1) closed out an occasionally slow fight with Covington (15-2) in thrilling fashion, knocking down the challenger twice with right hands and then decisively finishing him on the ground. Although he didn’t break his jaw as he feared, Covington couldn’t withstand the pressure of Usman, who drew strength from the personal animus he took into the cage.
“He talked a lot going into this, so this was a respect thing,” said Usman, who won his 11th straight fight. “I had a responsibility to go in there and teach him a lesson.”
The Texas-raised Usman made good on his vow to derail the career of Covington, whose grating personality and eager embrace of President Donald Trump have made him a polarizing, widely reviled figure in mixed martial arts.
“Everyone was like, `Oh, Colby is in his head!“’ Usman said. “‘He’s going to gas out, fight emotional!’ I’m telling you guys right now, the reason I’m the best in the world is because my mind is stronger than everyone in the division.”
Covington and Usman started with two busy rounds of striking in which Covington appeared to be landing more blows, but Covington poked Usman in the eye during the third. Usman responded by bloodying Covington in an impressive third-round flurry, and Covington subsequently told his corner that he thought his jaw was broken – but it wasn’t, according to the UFC’s physicians.
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Usman took control from there, gradually finishing Covington in his first defence of the belt he took from Woodley earlier this year.
Covington sprinted from the cage after the decision, declining to congratulate Usman.
“I made a lot of mistakes, but I know I hit harder than him,” Usman said.