The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC 245: “Usman vs Covington.” The event was headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship bout between champion Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman and Colby “Chaos” Covington.
In the co-feature, UFC Featherweight Champion Max “Blessed” Holloway met Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes faced Germaine “The Iron Lady” de Randamie again. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
UFC Welterweight Championship
Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman vs Colby “Chaos” Covington
Round 1:
Usman opened the action with a body kick and Covington responded with straight left hands. Usman jabbed and ducked under Covington’s punches before countering with a hard right cross. Both men landed power punches and Covington scored with a hard one-two. He followed with a left hook and the fighters exchanged power punches. Usman kicked to the body and ate a hard left hook in return. More power punches were exchanged and Covington jumped in with a knee that missed. He scored with a left cross and Usman’s nose began to bleed. 10-9 Covington.
Round 2:
Jabs and straight punches were exchanged right away in the second round and Usman followed with a body kick. Usman landed two right hands and Covington’s nose began to bleed. He fired back with a winging left hook that landed and that led to a series of jabs from both fighters. Time was called after Usman indicated that he had been kicked in the groin. The fight resumed and Covington landed jab-cross combos. A hard one-two landed for Covington, but Usman responded with a right hook that knocked him off-balance. He followed with a hook to the body before the end of the close round. 10-9 Covington.
Round 3:
The pace slowed in round three and Usman began to find more success with counter right hands. He followed with a body kick and Covington jabbed in return. Usman continued to target the body and he landed a hard right hand. Another body shot landed for Usman and he kept Covington on the defensive with punches. Covington responded with a body kick and lunging punches, but he poked Usman in the eye in the process. Time was called and Usman was given time to recover. Action resumed and Usman landed a one-two and a body kick. 10-9 Usman.
Round 4:
Covington indicated that his jaw was broken between rounds, but he fought on and backed Usman up with a hard flurry of punches early in round four. Usman landed right hands and jabs in return as a cut opened below Covington’s right eye. Both men landed right hooks that briefly wobbled the other and Covington followed with a left cross. Another left hand and an uppercut scored for Covington and Usman responded with a straight right. A three-punch combo and two leg kicks landed for Covington in the final minute and time was called after Covington was poked in the eye. Action continued and both men attempted head kicks. Covington landed a left hook before the bell. 10-9 Covington by a slim margin.
Round 5:
The fighters continued to trade jabs in round five and Covington landed a hard left cross. He followed with a three-punch flurry and Usman responded with hooks to the body. More power punches were exchanged and Usman backed Covington up with a right hook. He followed with more big punches and Covington appeared to be wobbled. Usman chased after Covington and dropped him with a right cross. Covington got back to his feet and Usman dropped him again. Covington got to his knees and tried to stand up as Usman landed punches on the ground. Covington appeared to be okay, and the fight was late in the fifth round, but referee Marc Goddard intervened and stopped the fight.
Winner: Kamaru Usman by TKO (Punches) at 4:10 of round five. He improves to 16-1-0 and remains the UFC Welterweight Champion.
UFC Featherweight Championship
Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski vs Max “Blessed” Holloway
Round 1:
Holloway jabbed and landed leg kicks in the opening minute. Volkanovski landed a lead left hook and followed with right hands over the top. Holloway continued to find success with leg kicks and Volkanovski lunged forward with more hooks. He landed some hard leg kicks of his own and attempted a head kick. The fighters exchanged quick punches in the final minute and Volkanovski backed Holloway up against the cage. Holloway circled out and Volkanovski chased after him with punches. Holloway finished the close round with a knee to the body. 10-9 Volkanovski.
Round 2:
Volkanovski attacked with leg kicks in the second round and he used them to set up punches over the top. As the round progressed, Volkanovski landed leg kicks at will and Holloway eventually switched stances. A hard right hook landed for Volkanovski with 75 seconds remaining and he began to target Holloway’s right leg with kicks. Holloway picked up the pace late in the round and landed a quick flurry, but Volkanovski landed more leg kicks before the bell. 10-9 Volkanovski.
Round 3:
Holloway pressured Volkanovski with jabs and a one-two early in round three. Volkanovski responded with a lunging combination and both men connected with left hands in close. Volkanovski used leg kicks to set up an overhand right and he continued to target Holloway’s right leg with more kicks in the ensuing minute. Holloway landed a left hook and Volkanovski pressed forward with another kick-punch combo. Holloway responded with a hard knee to the body and Volkanovski landed a leg kick and a right hand late in the round. 10-9 Volkanovski.
Round 4:
Volkanovski landed a counter one-two in the fourth round and he stunned Holloway seconds later with a right hook. Holloway recovered, but Volkanovski landed another right hand and he shot in for a takedown soon after. Holloway stayed on his feet and Volkanovski backed him up with punches and leg kicks. Holloway answered with two of his best flurries of the fight, but Volkanovski reset and resumed throwing leg kicks. An uppercut scored for Holloway and Volkanovski replied with a right hook over the top. More punches were exchanged and Holloway scored to the body. Volkanovski jabbed and landed more leg kicks, but Holloway cracked him with another hard counter flurry. In the final seconds, Volkanovski landed one more combination. Very close round. 10-9 Volkanovski.
Round 5:
In the final round, Volkanovski remained effective at mixing up his strikes with kick-punch combos. Holloway landed a combination and he followed with a right hook to the body. Volkanovski responded with a right hand over the top and Holloway continued to target his body with punches in return. Both men landed punches and Holloway briefly secured a front headlock. Volkanovski landed two leg kicks and he clinched with Holloway against the cage. Holloway broke free and Volkanovski landed a stiff jab and a right hand to the jaw. Big punches were exchanged and Volkanovski again looked for a takedown. Holloway countered with an elbow and he followed with a kick to the body. Volkanovski tried unsuccessfully for a takedown and he landed right hands before the bell. Another close round. 10-9 Volkanovski, barely.
Winner: Alexander Volkanovski by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 48-47, 48-47) after five rounds. He improves to 21-1-0 and becomes the new UFC Featherweight Champion.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes vs Germaine “The Iron Lady” de Randamie
Round 1:
After an exchange of leg kicks to begin the fight, Nunes landed an overhand right and she caught a kick from de Randamie soon after. Two more punches landed for Nunes in close and she followed with another overhand right. Nunes took de Randamie down and landed punches from the top, then pulled guard with a guillotine choke after de Randamie scrambled up. De Randamie stayed calm and escaped, and she landed punches and knees to Nunes’s body on the way up. Nunes secured another takedown and she scored with hard ground and pound from a standing position over de Randamie. She rained down hard punches from the top as de Randamie covered up and tried to kick her off. In the final minute, Nunes attempted an arm-triangle choke, but de Randamie survived. She kicked Nunes off and made it to the bell. 10-8 Nunes.
Round 2:
The fighters traded punches in round two and de Randamie landed two hard right hands. Nunes responded with a takedown and de Randamie held on from the bottom. The fighters were stood up and de Randamie landed a question mark kick that briefly stunned Nunes. A flying switch knee landed for de Randamie and she followed with more knees in a clinch. Nunes took de Randamie down and landed an elbow from the top. De Randamie looked to counter with a triangle choke and Nunes escaped. 10-9 de Randamie.
Round 3:
Nunes managed to drag de Randamie down to the mat against the base of the cage in the third round. De Randamie held on again and Nunes threw right hands to the body. At the midway point in the round, Nunes postured up with harder punches and de Randamie tied her up again. Soon after, Nunes used elbows to set up an arm-triangle choke attempt, but the cage got in the way and Nunes gave up on the choke. She stood up and de Randamie stunned her with an upkick. Nunes recovered and dropped down into side control while landing hammerfists to de Randamie’s face. De Randamie scrambled up to her feet and Nunes secured a front headlock late in the round. 10-9 Nunes.
Round 4:
Following a brief striking exchange, Nunes took de Randamie down in the fourth round and she worked from the top in de Randamie’s half-guard. Nunes landed hammerfists and an elbow from the top while de Randamie threw punches from her back. De Randamie locked on a triangle armbar from the bottom and tried to roll into mount, but Nunes managed to escape in the process. The fight briefly returned to the feet and Nunes dragged de Randamie down once more. She postured up with a handful of punches in the final minute. 10-9 Nunes.
Round 5:
Nunes quickly took de Randamie down in round five and she threw short right hands to the body. De Randamie kept her trapped in full guard and limited Nunes’s offence from the top. De Randamie briefly looked to posture for a triangle choke or an armbar at one point, but Nunes easily avoided danger and she continued to pepper her with punches to the body. With 30 seconds to go, de Randamie kicked Nunes off, but Nunes dropped back into side control and finished the round with short elbows and punches. 10-9 Nunes.
Winner: Amanda Nunes by Unanimous Decision (49-44, 49-45, 49-46) after five rounds. She improves to 19-4-0 and remains the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
“Magic” Marlon Moraes vs José “Scarface” Aldo
Round 1:
Moraes hurt Aldo right away with a head kick, but Aldo recovered and weathered follow-up punches. He landed a counter right hook that snapped Moraes’s head back and both men landed leg kicks. Aldo remained the aggressor, but Moraes landed counter left and right hooks as Aldo pressed forward. In the final minute, Aldo stunned Moraes with two right hands and he closed in with more punches, but Moraes took him down late in the close round. 10-9 Moraes by a slim margin.
Round 2:
Aldo landed a hard leg kick early in round two and Moraes immediately answered with a right cross. He circled away and used jabs tot ry to keep Aldo at bay. Aldo blocked a head kick and landed a nice left hook to the body. A three-punch combo landed for Aldo and Moraes responded with a right hook. Aldo continued to press the action with stiff jabs and leg kicks. Moraes missed with a spinning wheel kick and Aldo jumped in with a knee. He followed with an uppercut that set off an exchange of power punches. 10-9 Aldo.
Round 3:
Aldo struck first with a right hook and Moraes responded with two left hands in the final round. He followed with jabs that backed Aldo up momentarily, but Aldo resumed his forward march. As the round progressed, Moraes darted in and out with quick punches before circling to the sides again. Also continued to walk him down and narrowly missed with a flying knee. Aldo opened a cut beside Moraes’s left eye with a three-punch combo and Moraes replied with a right hook over the top. Late in the round, Moraes landed a leg kick and a step-in punch before trying unsuccessfully for a takedown. Aldo landed a jumping knee and two punches before the end of the close fight. 10-9 Aldo, barely. Decision could go either way.
Winner: Marlon Moraes by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 23-6-1.
Petr “No Mercy” Yan vs “The California Kid” Urijah Faber
Round 1:
Faber landed a body kick early on and followed with a step-in knee. Yan kept him circling on the outside and he followed up on a grazing head kick with a one-two. Yan stepped forward with two more punches and a knee to the body in a brief clinch. Faber attempted a knee in close and Yan hurt him with a counter right hook over the top. Faber recovered and Yan landed a pair of punch-elbow combos. Faber kicked at Yan’s lead leg and Yan jumped in with a knee to the chest. 10-9 Yan.
Round 2:
A lead left hook scored for Faber in round two and he circled to the side to avoid Yan’s counterpunches. The fighters clinched and Faber held Yan against the cage. Yan broke free and Faber landed two punches before clinching again. Yan countered with an elbow over the top and a stiff jab. Faber continued to pursue the takedown, but Yan stuffed it and dropped him with a right-left combo. He followed with more punches on the ground, but Faber recovered quickly and returned to his feet. Faber landed a left hand, but he was dropped by an elbow. Faber’s nose bled heavily and a big hematoma developed below his left eye. Time was called to check on it, but the doctor allowed the fight to continue. Faber worked back to his feet after the restart and Yan took him back down before the bell. 10-8 Yan.
Round 3:
Yan pressed forward in the final round and landed a right hand that led to a clinch near the cage. Yan broke free and landed a left high kick to Faber’s temple that sent him crashing to the canvas and ended the fight.
Winner: Petr Yan by KO (Head Kick) at 0:43 of round three. He improves to 14-1-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)