Cheered on by Donald Trump’s sons, former interim welterweight champ Colby Covington shut out Robbie Lawler for a dominant unanimous decision.
Covington (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) kept Lawler (28-14 MMA, 13-8 UFC) off-guard over five rounds, mixing takedowns and punches in a pace that was unsustainable for the former undisputed champ.
The welterweight bout was the main event of UFC on ESPN 5 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The event aired on ESPN.
The final scorecards were 50-44 and 50-45 twice for Covington, who called out champ Kamaru Usman after his seventh straight UFC win.
When ESPN cameras cut to Usman, who was at Prudential Center as a UFC analyst, Covington screamed, “‘Marty Fakenewsman!’ We don’t have to wait until Madison Square Garden. We can do it tonight. We can do it right now!”
Covington landed nearly 600 strikes on Lawler over 25 minutes, keeping the ex-champ from loading up the punches that have knocked out other opponents. When Lawler wasn’t worried about the piston-like jabs headed his way, he was forced to fight off clinches and takedowns.
Covington tried mightily to choke Lawler early after securing his first significant takedown. Lawler escaped danger and returned to his feet, only to get smothered again.
“He did a really good job,” said Lawler, who suffered his third straight loss and dropped to 1-4 in his past five bouts. “I just need to get back to the drawing board. I felt the best I’ve felt in a few years. I’m going to go back and just get better.”
Covington returned to the cage after capturing the interim welterweight title in a bout against former lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos in June 2018. He didn’t miss a step after being stripped of the belt just six months later when a nasal surgery forced him to turn down a title fight this past September against then-champ Tyron Woodley.
Entering the arena to the music used by former pro wrestling star Kurt Angle, Covington was greeted with chants of “You suck.” The crowd regularly cheered Lawler.
Yet as the fight went into the fourth and fifth rounds, Lawler appeared less and less able to match Covington’s pressure. He came on briefly in the third and fourth, landing a few heavy punches. Covington just smiled and continued to outwork his opponent.
After the fight, Donald Trump Jr. mouthed to Covington “5-0,” a prediction that came true when final scorecards were announced.
“I was truly inspired when the first family came,” Covington said of Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. “They’re keeping America great!”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 5 results include:
- Colby Covington def. Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-45)
- Jim Miller def. Clay Guida via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:58
- Nasrat Haqparast def. Joaquim Silva via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:36
- Gerald Meerschaert def. Trevin Giles via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 1:49
- Scott Holtzman def. Dong Hyun Ma via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Darko Stosic via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 28-27)
- Mickey Gall def. Salim Touahri via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Antonina Shevchenko def. Lucie Pudilova via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:20
- Matt Schnell def. Jordan Espinosa via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:23
- Lauren Murphy def. Mara Romero Borella via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 1:46
- Claudio Silva def. Cole Williams via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:35
- Miranda Granger def. Hannah Goldy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
