UFC 268: Usman beats Covington to retain UFC title

Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman has defeated Colby Covington of the United States to defend his UFC welterweight championship title.

The Nigerian Nightmare defeated Covington via unanimous decision to continue his dominance in the UFC 268 category in their rematch face-off, which was held at Madison Square Garden, New York, on Sunday morning.

Usman hit top gear straight from the first round of the bout, controlling the standup with deft punch combination and body kicks.

The Nigerian intensified his dominance in the second round and sent the American sprawling in the canvas twice with quick successive jabs and hooks.

In the third round, he cooled his ferocity and allowed Covington to muster a glint of resurgence toward the end.

Covington’s renewed confidence extended to the fourth round. He hounded Usman and hurt the champion a couple of times.

The final round was a close fight of blurry punches and kicks as both fighters ditched for a late knockout salvo.

The judges awarded a unanimous (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) victory for the Nigerian Nightmare, who has successfully defended his title 5 times.

The victory was Usman’s 15th straight win in the UFC — the second-longest UFC streak behind Anderson Silva (16).

The duo previously met at UFC 245, where Usman technically knocked out the American in the fifth round.