In 2019, Kamaru Usman knocked out Colby Covington in the fifth round to retain the UFC welterweight title. However, both fighters had their moments in what turned out to be one of the best fights of the year, and some rounds are still up for debate today.
They'll run it back this weekend at UFC 268 in New York to see if Covington can get revenge or if Usman is still the promotion's top 170-pound fighter. Ahead of the highly anticipated rematch, theScore revisits the first four rounds of the instant classic that was Usman-Covington 1 to determine who, if anyone, was ahead before Usman's late surge.
Event: UFC 245
Date: Dec. 14, 2019
Location: Las Vegas
Result: Kamaru Usman def. Colby Covington via TKO (strikes) at 4:10 of Round 5
Official scorecards going into Round 5: 39-37 Usman (Derek Cleary), 38-38 (Eric Colon), 39-37 Covington (Sal D'Amato)
Round 1: There was no feeling-out process in this fight. The rivals got after it right away, with Covington finding success with his kicks and Usman connecting with his hands. Covington had the biggest moment of the round, briefly putting Usman in danger with a solid left punch. But Usman tied up Covington to shake off any cobwebs before continuing to throw his own offense. Usman's best punch was a body shot late in the round that Covington definitely felt.
UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier noted that Usman was the sharper striker, while Covington planned to overwhelm the champion with pressure and volume. This was a relatively competitive round, but Covington's offense, particularly the left hand, had the biggest impact. theScore gives the round to Covington, 10-9.
Round 2: This round was more of the same, with explosive exchanges and nonstop action. Usman and Covington traded big punches at a high clip, often aiming for the head. Covington stung Usman with a right and then a left, while Usman continued to dig to the challenger's body. It was another close stanza, but Covington's pace and output gave him the edge. A big lead for the former interim champion after 10 minutes. theScore gives the round to Covington, 10-9.
Round 3: This was when the tide started to turn. Usman and Covington fought at a slower, more relaxed pace than in the first two rounds, and that favored Usman. "The Nigerian Nightmare" landed from a distance, using his right hand and front kicks to the body to wear Covington down. Covington's cardiovascular endurance seemed to still be OK, but his offense was much more limited than before. That might've resulted from Usman's adjustments to fight more defensively; he didn't get hit nearly as much. Usman crushed Covington with a heavy punch at one point in the round, and Covington told his cornerman when the frame ended that he thought his jaw was broken. theScore gives the round to Usman, 10-9.
Round 4: After a tentative 30 seconds, Usman and Covington got back to the firefight of Rounds 1 and 2 - and that's how most of this stanza played out. It seemed like Usman was in control of the fight after dominating the third round and Covington wouldn't be able to keep up the longer the bout went. But Covington did a good job of not letting Usman dictate the pace like in Round 3.
He got Usman's attention with solid punches, including a one-two combination, and he marched forward swinging for the fence. Usman found success with his jab and kicks, and his offense was a bit more consistent than Covington's throughout the round. However, Covington's punches seemed to have more impact. Usman and Covington traded heavy blows to close the round, and Covington stung him once more.
This round was a toss-up, and you could really go either way. It just comes down to whether you favor Usman's slightly higher output or Covington's more effective shots. We'll go with the latter. theScore gives the round to Covington, 10-9.
How did the judges do?
All three judges had different scores going into the fifth round, which is understandable in this kind of fight. Our score aligns with Sal D'Amato's, but that doesn't mean the other scorecards were bad or wrong. Usman clearly won Round 3, and Covington was pretty convincing in Round 1. The second and fourth were close. Frankly, any score ranging from 3-1 Usman to 3-1 Covington would be acceptable.
What would've happened if the referee didn't stop the fight?
Let's pretend that Usman didn't finish Covington, and Round 5 was otherwise the same except referee Marc Goddard let the fight go another 50 seconds or Covington managed to recover. (For what it's worth, Covington immediately protested the stoppage and still believes Goddard made a bad call.)
Based on the judges' scorecards and how the round was playing out before Usman won with less than a minute to go, the defending champ likely would have won by split decision.
Usman was clearly ahead in the fifth frame by the time he stopped Covington. He put the pressure on the challenger, landing huge strikes and knocking him down twice. Usman definitely would have won the round had Covington somehow made it to the end of the fight, resulting in scores of 49-46 Usman, 48-47 Usman, and 48-47 Covington (unless the fifth was scored a 10-8, which it could have been. In that case, the fight would have been a majority decision for Usman).
Regardless of who we thought won the narrow rounds earlier in the fight, Usman made it clear that he was the UFC's best welterweight by finishing his game opponent. Now Covington - who has so far been Usman's toughest challenge by a mile - gets a chance to avenge that loss in Saturday's blockbuster rematch.
