Karamu Usman has a number of big wins in his career, but none were more important than his UFC welterweight championship-clinching performance against Tyron Woodley.
Only having lost once as a professional, Usman defeated nine straight opponents in the UFC en route to a UFC title shot. Victories over top contenders Rafael dos Anjos and Demian Maia set Usman up for his March 2019 showdown against then-champ Woodley.
In the co-main event of UFC 235, Usman dominated Woodley for the majority of five rounds. The performance earned “The Nigerian Nightmare” a unanimous decision nod, winning every round on all three judges’ scorecards (50-44, 50-44, 50-45).
Saturday at UFC 245, Usman (15-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) will defend his title for the first time against archrival Colby Covington (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC). The anticipation and trash talk has been building for the better part of a year, with attacks getting personal.
American Top Team’s Covington is riding a lengthy win streak of his own, having won seven straight outings. A dominant victory over Robbie Lawler in August propelled Covington into his upcoming showdown with Usman.
UFC 245 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Relive Kamaru Usman’s dominant decision victory over Tyron Woodley by watching the video above.
UFC 245 free fight: Kamaru Usman shuts out Tyron Woodley on judges' scorecards to win title
