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Kamaru Usman made a statement by finishing his arch-nemesis Colby Covington at UFC 245. The two men engaged in heated altercations in the lead-up to their clash, and it was Usman who walked away with bragging rights.
After four competitive rounds, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' pulled out all the stops, finishing Covington with 50 seconds left in the final frame.
However, which fighter enjoyed the advantage on the judges' scorecard heading into the fifth round? Let's take a look.
Judge Derek Cleary had Usman winning three of the four rounds. After scoring the first round for Covington, he gave the subsequent three rounds to Usman. In his books, the welterweight champion was up 39-37.
According to judge Eric Colon, the fight was more competitive. He awarded the opening two rounds to 'Chaos' and scored the next couple of rounds for Usman, tallying the fight 38-38.
Judge Sai D'Amato also scored the contest 39-37, however, in favor of Covington. According to him, the southpaw won the first, second and fourth round.
Kamaru Usman secured two huge knockdowns in the fifth round. Assuming that would have been enough for him to snatch the final frame, he would have won the fight via split decision had referee Marc Goddard let the bout continue.
Colby Covington will be Kamaru Usman's next challenger
Colby Covington bounced back from his loss to Kamaru Usman as he dominated former welterweight champ Tyron Woodley in his next fight. The 33-year-old put on a clinical performance and became the first fighter to finish Woodley in the UFC.
UFC president Dana White believes Covington's win over Woodley is enough for him to stake a claim for the welterweight championship once again - an idea with which Kamaru Usman begs to differ.
The Nigerian fighter thinks Covington hasn't "earned" a title shot, citing inactivity as the reason. 'Chaos' has only fought once since his UFC 245 loss, which took place in December 2019.
On the other hand, Kamaru Usman has racked up three monumental wins since defeating Covington. The 34-year-old champion registered two victories over Jorge Masvidal and one over his former teammate Gilbert Burns.
