Usman TKOs Covington to retain title in UFC 245 thriller

Champion Kamaru Usman finished Colby Covington late in the fifth round of the UFC 245 main event Saturday night to retain the welterweight title.

The TKO finish came at 4:10 of Round 5 after Usman knocked Covington down twice, both with right hands, leading to the ground-and-pound stoppage.

Usman versus Covington was a pure kickboxing match, despite the fact that both fighters are known for their wrestling abilities. Neither athlete attempted a takedown in the bout, which lasted nearly 25 minutes.

Covington started strong, using his pressure to set the pace and outpoint Usman in the early rounds. But once "Chaos" started to tire slightly, Usman began to take over. "The Nigerian Nightmare" landed the harder shots, which eventually resulted in his fifth-round TKO victory.

The win marked Usman's first defense of his UFC welterweight title. He won it in March in a dominant performance against Tyron Woodley.

Covington, who entered his first undisputed title bout coming off a one-sided win over former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in August, saw his seven-fight winning streak come to an end.