Covington rips ref for 'fake stoppage,' broken jaw confirmed

Warning: Story contains coarse language

Colby Covington came up short in his first undisputed title shot on Saturday night, but the controversial welterweight believes he was "robbed" by referee Marc Goddard during the bout against champion Kamaru Usman.

In a tweet after the fight, Covington took issue with what he perceived to be an early stoppage in the fifth round. He also criticized Goddard for calling an eye poke and a low blow against him earlier in the bout.

While the low blow appeared to be marginal, Covington clearly raked Usman's right eye with extended fingers, causing the 170-pound king to take several moments to compose himself.

In a razor-close main event at UFC 245, Covington was even on the scorecards before the TKO but took on more significant damage. Between the third and fourth rounds, he told his corner that he thought his jaw was broken.

After the fight, the UFC confirmed Covington "suffered a non-displaced midline mandible fracture," per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.

The lead-up to Usman's first title defense against Covington had been dominated by bad blood between the two men, and the challenger seemingly wasn't interested in watching his opponent celebrate the victory.

Covington also made a statement on Instagram, where he fired more shots at Goddard and said he intends to return with a vengeance.

"Just like America, my will and spirit can never be broken. Speed bumps can’t slow me down," Covington wrote. "You people ain't seen nothing yet."