NEW YORK — Colby Covington certainly gave it his all but Kamaru Usman stepped out of the Octagon at Madison Square Garden as the winner and still welterweight champion.
Usman dropped Covington with two punishing left hands in the second round to power his way toward a unanimous decision victory Saturday night. Judges saw it 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 for Usman, clearly crediting "The Nigerian Nightmare" for that impactful round and more. With the victory, Usman pushed the longest active winning streak in the UFC to 19.
Although Usman threatened the finish by knocking Covington down twice with huge shots in the second round, Covington stormed back with a spirited performance the rest of the way through.
Using his noted cardio, he repeatedly caught the champion with lunging right hands and combinations — some wobbling Usman — to go the distance and leave it in judges' hands which eventually scored the fight for the titleholder.
That being said, Usman gave his bitter rival respect following their second fight in less than two years.
"He's a tough son of a bitch," Usman told Joe Rogan in the Octagon. "I knew with a guy like this, he was going to creep back in this.
"When you share an Octagon with someone this tough, you can't help it," Usman continued referring to the handshake he extended toward Covington after the bout. "That respect is going to."
He finished his interview with Rogan by declaring himself the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
And Covington couldn't deny that at least for Saturday night.
"I had my moments," Covington said. "I wobbled him a couple times at the end of the round and I wasn't able to capitalize. It was his night. He had a better night."
Here's how the entire UFC 268 main card went.