Kamaru Usman successfully defends his belt for the rematch against Colby Covington. Even though Usman won the fight, Covington also showed tremendous heart. Usman has said after the fight that Covington is without a doubt the second-best welterweight on the planet.
The main difference in the rematch was that Colby mixed his wrestling more unlike in their first match where it was all striking. In the buildup, Usman was said to have a 100% takedown defense, so it was very hard to take down the pound for pound best fighter in the world.
In the opening bell, Covington was less aggressive and more composed. Usually, Covington gives relentless pressure and does not give his opponents a break by throwing volume strikes but in this case, he was more calculated and wanted to mix takedowns. Usman managed to reverse the takedowns that Covington initiated.
The first round was close but Usman manage to edge out by the control and land the better shots. There was also an accidental headbutt that led to Covington bleeding a bit.
In the second round, both fighters are starting to get more aggressive and throw more shots. The biggest moment happened in the final minute of the second round where Usman managed to knock down Covington twice. It just shows the power that Usman possesses and also the improvement in his striking by Whittman.
Many thought that Covington was just saved by the bell and will likely get stopped in the later rounds due to the heavy momentum. But Covington proved why he is the #1 welterweight in the world, by not only recovering but also winning rounds.
Usman was even hesitant in looking for the finish because he knows that Covington is still dangerous despite getting knocked out. As the fight went to the later rounds, Covington somehow got the timing of Usman and landed clean punches.
It was a back and forth and also worth noting that Covington landed the first takedown over Usman which is an impressive achievement on its own. Covington showed tremendous heart and will to even fight despite getting clipped a few times.
The fight lived up to the hype and it just showed that the two fighters improved greatly compared to their first fight. All three judges gave Usman as the victor of the fight. Although one takeaway is that Covington showed respect at Usman after the fight which just proved once more that Covington is using a persona to sell fights.
Usman remains the welterweight champion and the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. As for Covington, it is going back to the drawing boards and fight whoever the UFC offers in order to get another title shot.
