Kamaru Usman: Colby Covington was tough at UFC 245, but where was his gas tank?

LAS VEGAS – Despite the bad blood he shares with rival Colby Covington, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman gave credit where he sees due.

With the clock winding down in their UFC 245 main event Saturday night, Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) finished Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) at the 4:10 mark of the fifth round at T-Mobile Arena.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” appeared to be the fresher fighter prior to the finish. Up until Usman took over in the fifth, the fight was close through four rounds. Usman’s cardio and endurance proved to be Covington’s ultimate undoing.

“I was sitting there like, ‘Where’s his gas tank at?’ this whole time,” Usman said. “I was fresh. I don’t know if you guys noticed, but I think it was the beginning of the fourth or maybe the fifth. I’m hopping around like, ‘I feel fresh.’ I’m hopping around, looking across like, ‘Where is his gas tank? Where is his gas tank? I haven’t seen this yet. I don’t see it, so I’m going to turn up one more level.’”

All of the vitriol and insults aside, Usman credits Covington for his performance. Usman even went as far as to empathize with what Covington must be going through in defeat.

By amplifying his “Make America Great Again” character, Covington also risked a lot of criticism. Following UFC 245, Usman believes the weight on Covington’s shoulders is pretty heavy.

“Honestly, let’s dissect everything he’s gone through,” Usman said. “It takes a lot to be able to carry all that negativity, to carry that act, to carry that whole fake bravado. It takes a whole lot out of you to be able to come in here and try to fight.

“I imagine now what he’s going to be going through. That takes a lot out of you physically and mentally. So we’ll see. He’s a tough guy. I’ll always give him his credit. I think he’s a very, very tough fighter.”

The welterweight title bout was the UFC 245 main event. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.