Nigerian born Usman knocks out American Covington to retain his UFC Welterweight Belt

Nigerian born Kamaru Usman, UFC welterweight champion, produced a dramatic late stoppage to defeat challenger American Colby Covington in the final minute of their main-event bout at UFC 245 in Las Vegas.

After a breathless encounter, Usman finally broke down Covington in the last round, dropping him twice with two huge punches before forcing referee Marc Goddard to call off the contest as he unloaded a barrage of ground strikes.

The build-up to the bout was an ill-tempered one, with Covington goading and insulting Usman over the course of the past year. And while the pair scuffled in the Palms Casino in Las Vegas back in March, Usman maintained a composed exterior throughout fight week.

The 32-year-old, battled toe-to-toe with his American rival through four hugely entertaining rounds at the T-Mobile Arena, breaking Covington’s jaw with a huge punch in the third round.

Despite that, Covington continued to trade with the champion as the bout approached a thrilling climax that saw Usman claim a TKO victory with just 50 seconds remaining.

“I wasn’t worried about hitting him in specific spots, I just wanted to hit him over and over wherever I could,” said Usman.

“He talked a lot going into this, so this was a respect thing. I had a responsibility to go in there and teach him a lesson.”