By Emmanuel Okogba

Kamaru Usman retained his welterweight title, defeating Colby Covington by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-7, 49-46).

The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ retained his welterweight title but failed to finish his challenger, who he described as a tougher opponent from their last meeting.

Usman said after the fight, ‘There was a lot of bad blood and I’m sure there will be some still but he is a tough son of a b****. When you share an octagon with someone tough you gain that respect. I can tell his technique and power has come up. I am the pound for pound best alive, we take our time, stay calculated.

‘New York, thank you for coming out, I hope we put on a performance for you.’ 

Their first fight ended with a fifth-round knockout in favor of Usman.

More details later…