UFC 268: Kamaru Usman defeats Colby Covington to retain welterweight title

An epic UFC card has concluded with a closely-fought title fight that ended with a hilarious moment between the two fighters. 

Pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman has retained his UFC welterweight title with a victory via unanimous decision over great rival Colby Covington in an epic fight. 

Covington came out all guns blazing in the first round, swinging and kicking wildly, but he struggled to connect. 

Usman had the upper hand from the opening stages as he landed some brutal body blows and secured two knockdowns in the first couple of rounds.

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Covington was cut badly under his eye in the first round after a nasty head clash between the two fighters. 

But he fought back, engaging in some rapid fire punching exchanges throughout the remainder of the bout. 

The third round was the American's best as he landed some strong punches and almost took Usman down, but the champion just managed to stay on his feet. 

Bloodied and bruised, Covington threw everything he had at Usman in the last two rounds as the fight went the distance. 

He attempted to wrestle with Usman on the ground a couple of times but the Nigerian was impenetrable and continued to land strong uppercuts and kicks on his opponent. 

After some close rounds, the fighters exchanged some terse words and smirked at each other.

The pair previously fought at UFC 245 in a classic fight as Usman claimed the victory via a fifth round TKO and the war of words has been bitter.

Kamaru Usman kicks Colby Covington in their welterweight title bout during the UFC 268 event at Madison Square Garden. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

But that hostility was put aside after a brutal five rounds at UFC 268, with Usman and Covington coming together in a close embrace after the final bell and sharing some kind words. 

Usman retained his belt as the judges awarded him the victory in a unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46).

There was an amusing moment at the conclusion to the fight when the referee had to separate Covington and Usman as they continued to give each other compliments just moments after battering each other. 

"Go kiss later," referee Dan Miragliotta was heard telling the duo, forcing them apart and back to their respective corners. 

"Go kiss later"

Greatest line I've heard from a ref ever 🤣#UFC268

— Basil Zoccali (@BasilZoccali) November 7, 2021

"I really liked the end where they gave each other some respect," commentator Joe Rogan said.

"I really enjoyed that. Even though I know Colby has the act to keep up, he dropped it at the end and he said, ‘Nothing but love and respect’ and they hugged.

"I loved the fight and I enjoyed that as much. I think that was a big moment."

MMA legend Daniel Cormier added: "You saw Colby Covington drop the mask for a second.

"But then as he ended it, he went right back to Colby, ‘I’m not done yet. I’ll be back’."

Speaking after the fight, Usman said he had a lot of respect for Covington. 

"I got to give it up, I know there’s a lot of trash talk, there’s a lot of bad blood here and I’m sure there’s still going to be some after tonight," he said.

"But this guy’s a tough son of a b*tch. He’s tough as sh*t.

"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 had been working on it. His technique is down, his power came up a little bit and I could tell they’ve been working on it so I had to show him that respect. 

"I am the pound for pound best alive right now. I’ll tell you what he’s tough, super tough.

"I wanted to get crazy and get him out of there but that’s not what the best do. We take our time, we stay calculated, we listen to our coaches and we find the finish.

"Unfortunately, that’s the next best guy in the division. He’s a tough son of a gun and he wasn’t going to let me find that finish."

Covington was gracious in defeat.

“I had my moments," he said. 

"I wobbled him a couple times at the end of the round. Just wasn’t able to capitalise.

"It was his night, he had a better night."

Originally published as UFC 268: Kamaru Usman defeats Colby Covington to retain welterweight title

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