UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman retained his undisputed title against Colby Covington in the main event for UFC 268. The fight was a five-round war right from the get-go, and both men put it all on the line. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ finally managed to win out the grudge match and his rivalry with ‘Chaos’ Covington appears to be in the rearview mirror.
AND STILL #UFC268 pic.twitter.com/eNi2k7ynV5
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) November 7, 2021
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The rematch delivered and in the end, Usman and Covington embrace after 5️⃣ rounds at #UFC268 pic.twitter.com/fHUa8Tna6D
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 7, 2021
AND STIIIIIILLLLLLLL… 🤴 🏆 #UFC268
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 7, 2021
Congratulations @USMAN84kg #andstill
No shame in a performance like that @ColbyCovMMA. Keep doing your thing my friend!@ufc#UFC268
— Aleksandar Rakic (@rakic_ufc) November 7, 2021
Great fight fellas!!!! #UFC268
— Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) November 7, 2021
The initial round were all about the undisputed champion who managed to put on a sustained pace on Covington. Colby Covington appeared tentative in the early goings and was dropped to the canvas twice in the second round. Usman stayed behind his jab and found success, almost managing to earn a TKO over his rival.
Lo mejor de los rounds 2️⃣5️⃣ minutos de guerra #UFC268 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NfnXH06oPM
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) November 7, 2021
However, Covington managed to bounce back with some well-timed grappling exchanges up in close range. Furthermore, he began to let his hands go and started finding Kamaru Usman’s chin rather regularly. The D-1 All-American out of Oregon state certainly found the most amount of success in the fourth round and the momentum was on his side.
MASSIVE left from Usman and he wobbles Covington 😳 #UFC268 pic.twitter.com/cd4igi57I0
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 7, 2021
OOOOOOOOH 👀 #UFC268 pic.twitter.com/aQDseloF3s
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 7, 2021
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In the final round of the contest, Usman put his championship mettle on display and rallied to win over the judges. However, some fans on social media began chirping about a possible sleight for Covington who was competitive throughout the championship rounds.
SWANGIN' & BANGIN' 💥
[ #UFC268 | We’re LIVE on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/xRVlqJBhNX ] pic.twitter.com/xNso0eL5Ag— UFC (@ufc) November 7, 2021
Ufc 268 was so great 😍 #UFC268
— Tatiana Suarez (@tatianaufc) November 7, 2021
Damn same judge went 4 rounds to Marty https://t.co/sSlz8ZsDcP
— Funky (@Benaskren) November 7, 2021
Usman just passed GSP 🤷🏿♂️
— Sodiq Yusuff (@Super_Sodiq) November 7, 2021
49-46 is a fairly puzzling score. Tremendous fight all around though. And still. #UFC268
— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) November 7, 2021
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The respect at the end, it's always a good thing to see!#UFC268
— Herbert Burns (@HerbertBurnsMMA) November 7, 2021
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Both men seemingly buried the hatchet after their five-round classic and it’s more than likely that they will meet again on the championship level. As it stands, the MMA community would agree that Usman and Covington are the two best welterweights on the planet.