K. Usman (left) defeated C. Covington (right) in the UFC 268. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @UFC_CA
With a stage set up at Madison Square Garden, Kamaru Usman e Colby covington They once again delivered a great show to MMA fans. In a historic rematch for the organization, held this Saturday (6), in New York (USA), by UFC 268 the welterweight belt (up to 77kg) went to Nigeria. Over the course of 25 minutes, the champion had a tough fight, but managed to be superior and won with a unanimous decision from the judges.
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There was a lot of expectation for the new meeting between the show's protagonists. In 2019, the athletes gave fans one of the best clashes of the season, which ended with Usman's tough knockout of Covington.
Almost two years later, Kamaru hasn't managed to be as brutal as he was before. UFC 245. The Nigerian, however, once again proved why he leads the under-77kg category.
With the victory, Usman expands his great moment as a professional in MMA. Now, the athlete has five title defenses and has 19 consecutive victories in his career, 15 of which with Ultimate gloves alone. Thus, the Nigerian is one positive result away from drawing with Anderson Silva following conquests.
Beaten again, Covington was unable to confirm the good moment. The athlete, who was coming off a victory over Tyron woodley, now, suffers the third stumble in his career and second for the Nigerian.
The fight
The confrontation began with Covington taking the initiative with a low kick, which went empty. Usman saved his attacks in the opening seconds, but walked towards the challenger. Colby threw a high kick, but the blow stopped in the champion's guard. After just over a minute, the American went for the Nigerian's legs, but Kamaru defended himself well and attempted a guillotine choke. The challenger managed to pull away and the fight began to be fought in the center of the Octagon. Halfway through the stage, Colby planted a cross on the champion's face, who was 'shy' in the confrontation. Usman's first effective action came near the end of the stage, when he managed to take down his rival. The North American was attentive, protected himself and also attempted a submission, but in a frustrated manner. The duel was once again fought standing up and with exciting exchanges close to the fence. The stage ended with the athletes risking attacks at medium distance.
In the second stage, the initiative also belonged to Covington, with a high kick, but the American ended up swinging with a sequence of crosses applied by the champion. Kamaru was better at distance and scored with jabs and straight shots. Halfway through the round, the Nigerian received a right cross from his rival, who then went for his legs. Usman was pressed against the bars and tried to prevent his opponent's action. The champion managed to free himself and continued walking towards his opponent. In the final minute, the Nigerian continued to get the better of the exchange and scored more than his rival. Almost ending the round, the Nigerian made his opponent collapse twice with two left bombs. The champion continued to strike, but the challenger ended up saved by the bell.
The third round began with Covington risking a high kick, but the attack stopped in the champion's guard. The champion worked patiently and continued walking forward. After about a minute, the North American surprised him with a cross, but the Nigerian absorbed the attack well. The challenger tried to grow in the confrontation and hit his rival again with a direct shot. Halfway through the stage, Usman was hit again. Afterwards, the challenger attempted a takedown again, but the champion defended himself well and struck his opponent. Kamaru allowed his opponent to get up and the fighters exchanged blows again in the center of the octagon. In the final minute, Covington had a good moment again, with a straight shot, then attempted a takedown, but there was no more time.
In the fourth round, Usman started scoring with a sequence of jabs. The challenger tried to cash in and went up with combinations of punches and kicks. The champion managed to dodge and the fight remained tense. Two minutes later, Covington hit the Nigerian with a clean cross. Kamaru absorbed the attacks well and responded with attacks to the opponent's head and waistline. The duel remained frank, with the fighters looking for a knockout. With a cross, Kamaru attacked his opponent again. The North American surprised and shook the champion with a cross. The moment was good for the challenger, who started to move forward. Close to the end of the stage, Covington went to his legs and tried to take him down, but the champion defended himself, being pressed against the bars. The assault ended with another frank exchange between the fighters.
The last round started with an advantage for Colby, who attacked with a combination of jab and straight shot. Usman tried to find himself in the distance and walked towards the challenger. After a minute, the champion landed a left bomb on his rival's face, who responded with a right. The champion started swinging again and Covington went for the takedown again, but the Nigerian defended himself. The fight was once again fought standing up, with punches and kicks being exchanged in the center of the octagon. The actions of the fighters did not go unanswered and the public celebrated the new spectacle of the show's protagonists. With two minutes left in the match, Kamaru dodged a high kick, but ended up losing his balance. The North American went up and attempted the takedown. The challenger once again pressed the Nigerian against the bars. Towards the end of the fight, Usman returned to score with jabs and straight shots. With just a few seconds to go, Covington complained about a finger in the eye and the fight was momentarily interrupted. Upon return, the challenger launched a sequence of kicks, which ended up in the champion's guard. The duel ended in a frank exchange between the athletes. At the end of the duel, the athletes greeted each other.
UFC 268 results
MAIN CARD
Welterweight Weight: Kamaru Usman derrotou Colby covington in the unanimous decision of the judges (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) – Fight for the belt
Straw weight: Rose namajunas derrotou Weili Zhang in the judges' split decision (47-48, 48-47 and 49-46) – Fight for the belt
Bantamweight: Marlon Vera derrotou Frankie Edgar by knockout at 3m50s of R3
Feather weight: Shane burgos defeated Billy Quarantino via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight: Justin gaethje derrotou Michael chandler in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Average weight: Alex Poatán derrotou Andreas Michailidis by technical knockout (knee) 18 seconds into R2
Lightweight: Bobby Green derrotou To the fifth by technical knockout at 2m25s of R1
Average weight: Chris Curtis derrotou phil hawes by technical knockout at 4:27 of R1
Middleweight: Nassourdine Imavovo defeated Edmen shahbazyan by technical knockout at 4m42s of R2
Welterweight Weight: Ian Gary derrotou jordan williams by knockout at 4m59s of R1
Heavyweight: Chris Barnett derrotou Gian Villante by technical knockout at 2m23s of R2
Light Heavyweight: dustin jacoby derrotou John allan in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Feather weight: Melsik Baghdasaryan derrotou Bruno Souza in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Fly weight: Ode Osbourne derrotou CJ Vergara in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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