Former interim welterweight champ Colby Covington shut out Robbie Lawler for a dominant unanimous decision victory.
Covington (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) kept Lawler (28-14 MMA, 13-8 UFC) off-guard over five rounds.
The fighter was mixing takedowns and punches in the main event of “UFC on ESPN” 5 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The final scorecards were 50-44 and 50-45 twice for Covington, who called out champ Kamaru Usman after his seventh straight UFC win.
It got heated backstage at #UFCNewark as @ColbyCovMMA and @USMAN84kg came face-to-face on the desk! 😳 pic.twitter.com/ZJViIOP6l9
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) August 3, 2019
“He did a really good job,” said Lawler. “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.
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!”