Colby Covington defeats Rafael dos Anjos to become interim UFC welterweight champion

And new...

Ben Kiely

Colby Covington is NEVER going to shut up now!

You can hate Colby Covington. You can loathe the corny trash-talk, the provocative trolling, the way he offends entire nations like Ireland and Brazil. Feel free to give out about the misogynistic comments, the nerd-bashing and the virgin-slagging. Despise his wrestling-heavy style, his WWE-esque mic skills and the way he spoils beloved movie franchise.

However, after UFC 225, you cannot deny how good he is. By beating Rafael dos Anjos over five rounds, Covington is now a UFC belt-holder. The judges’ scorecards of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 mean he is now the interim UFC welterweight champion.

A title unification bout against Tyron Woodley awaits.

THIS PACE! #UFC225 pic.twitter.com/2DtJqyHYV5

— UFC (@ufc) June 10, 2018

And new!

Covington was relentless with his wrestling from the get-go. He immediately pushed RDA to the fence, but the Brazillian was able to land decent shots in the clinch. The damage dos Anjos did on the feet was enough to clinch the opening round.

The momentum swung in Covington’s favour for rounds two and three. He kept up that furious pace to frustrate and drain dos Anjos. In the fourth, dos Anjos brought it level on two of three judges’ scorecards with his superior striking. He cracked Covington with a huge left hand that had Covington backpedalling. A late takedown wasn’t enough for Covington to nick it.

Work was the story of the fifth. Covington simply outworked his adversary and kept the pressure on. He bullied his way until the final buzzer sounded.

"Tyron Woodley you're a coward."

"You can't run, you can't hide no more. I'm coming for you!"

Colby Covington continued the trash talking after becoming a UFC champion at #UFC225 👀 pic.twitter.com/nPN6VH1gwt

— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) June 10, 2018

His sixth consecutive victory saw Covington improve to 14-1. Meanwhile, dos Anjos falls to 28-10. His first loss at 170 lbs sees a three-fight streak snap. In his Octagon interview, Covington called out Woodley, who answered the call on social media.

“This is the real championship belt. I’m going to do what real champs should and take this belt to the White House and put it on president Donald Trump’s desk.”