Covington wins interim UFC title, confirms plan to visit White House
Colby Covington captured the UFC interim welterweight title, defeating Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision.
Covington created headlines by telling reporters prior to the fight that he'd take the belt to the White House to visit President Donald Trump. He said that after the commander-in-chief disinvited the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles from the traditional visit due to their protests against police brutality and racial inequality.
"I'm taking this belt to the White House and putting it on Donald Trump’s desk," Covington said after defeating dos Anjos.
Trump also said he'd refuse to invite the 2018 NBA champion after both the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers expressed disdain for his administration. The Warriors effectively confirmed they had no interest in going, then swept the series on Friday.
After the fight, reigning welterweight champion Tyron Woodley tweeted that he's ready to fight Covington, asking UFC president Dana White to set up the bout. Woodley hinted he wants to make his return in August, but no fight has been scheduled yet.
Although the fight was closely contested, Covington dictated the pace from the outset, steering dos Anjos into the cage and neutralizing his ability to strike in open space.
Early in the fourth round dos Anjos came out aggressively, but he couldn't sustain a flurry of punches that briefly threw his opponent off guard.
WHAT A START!@RdosAnjosMMA flies into the fourth round. #UFC225 pic.twitter.com/JIFMJJwX3j
— UFC (@ufc) June 10, 2018
Covington moved to 14-1 with the victory, while dos Anjos dropped to 28-10.