“I Had to Show Him That Respect” – Kamaru Usman After Defeating Colby Covington at UFC 268

One of the most anticipated fights of the year, Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2, finally took place. Both men looked to settle the score after their epic first fight at UFC 245.

The fight started with both fighters taking a cautious approach and not going after each other straight away. However, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ looked to have found his range early and dominated Covington in the first two rounds. He knocked down his opponent twice in the second round. However, ‘Chaos‘ weathered that storm and looked more comfortable in the later rounds.

He stunned Usman with his shots later on, and the fight was a constant back-and-forth. The bout went the distance and, in the end, both men seemed to have shown respect to each other.

In the post-fight interview, Joe Rogan asked Kamaru Usman about what he and ‘Chaos’ spoke about after their fight.

The winner replied, “When you share an octagon with someone this tough, you can’t help it. That respect is going to come. He hit me with some shots. I could tell him and his coaches over there, MMA Masters, they’ve been working on it.”

“His technique came down, his power went up a little bit and I could tell they’ve been working on it. So, I had to show him that respect,” he added.

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End of bad blood between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington?

Ever since the announcement of their first fight at UFC 245, both men have been going at each other. From the very beginning, they have made it clear that they don’t like each other. Even after an epic clash at UFC 245, the bad blood didn’t end. Instead, it escalated even further.

After many tries to make the fight, UFC 268 was chosen as the event for the much-awaited rematch. Even in the build-up to this match, the duo trash-talked to a great extent.

However, one unusual thing after this fight was the bitter rivals embracing each other. The warriors seemed to have a newfound respect for each other after going toe-to-toe for almost 10 rounds.

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Fans loved to see the two men dish it out in the octagon, and they’ll be hoping for more of this in the future as well.

What did you make of the post-fight interaction between the duo? Let us know in the comments!