Nigerian mixed martial arts (MMA) and Ultimate Fight Championship (UFC) title holder, Kamaru Usman has another date with history this weekend, as he steps into the ring to defend his belt against Colby Covington, megasportsarena.com reports.
Both fighters, who have been tagged ‘bitter rivals’ and men on a mission to claim bragging rights into the early hours of Sunday, with Nigerian fans expected to root all the way for Usman, as he makes his first defense of the UFC welterweight belt.
It comes just a week after another Nigerian-born fighter, Anthony Olaseni Oluwafemi Joshua regained his world boxing heavyweight belts from Andy Ruiz Jnr of Mexico, such that fans in and beyond the vastly populous West African country will hope for another glorious night when the highly-rated Usman goes against former interim champ, Covington in the main event of UFC 245.
A fight preview by Thomas Albano reads in part: “UFC 245 will be headlined by Kamaru Usman’s first defense of the UFC welterweight championship, as he takes on his clear archnemesis, former interim champion Colby Covington.
“After winning five of his first six MMA fights, Usman entered the UFC by winning season 21 of The Ultimate Fighter, and he has turned away every opponent in front of him since. After dominant main event performances against Demian Maia and Rafael dos Anjos in 2018, Usman was awarded a title shot against Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 in March. Usman continued his success by sweeping the judges’ scorecards to win the title.
“Covington made his UFC debut as a 5-0 fighter in Aug. 2014, and he’s gone 10-1 in the Octagon. He’s currently on a seven-fight win streak, during which he began to embrace a WWE heel-style persona highlighted by his support for U.S. President Donald Trump and several controversial remarks.
“Covington won the interim UFC welterweight title at UFC 225 but was stripped of the title due to being unable to unify the belt because of injuries. Usman returned at UFC Newark in August, defeating Robbie Lawler in a fight where he set the UFC record for most strikes thrown.
“Usman will come into this fight with a one-inch height and four-inch reach advantage. Statistically, Usman has the striking edge, having clear leads on Covington in significant strikes landed per minute, striking accuracy and strikes absorbed per minute.
“Both are more known for their grappling work, however, with Covington landing an average of 5.69 takedowns per 15 minutes and Usman with 4.96 per 15 minutes. But Usman also has a 100 percent takedown defense stat.”
