Colby Covington and Robbie Lawler faced each other in a Welterweight clash tonight (Sat., August 3, 2019) inside Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., only on ESPN. In a dominant showing, Covington put the pace on his opponent and cruised to an impressive main event win.
Covington started wild, looking to get Lawler’s hands high to open the shot. Lawler fired back, but both men escaped without absorbing anything too powerful. Covington managed to work a single leg takedown and force Lawler into the fence. From there, he transitioned into the body lock and briefly put Lawler on the mat. A single leg takedown from Covington forced Lawler to his butt. Lawler landed a backward elbow, but Covington dragged him to the mat yet again. Covington began hunting for the back mount. Covington threatened the neck crank but was not far enough behind his opponent. With a minute remaining, Lawler escaped to his feet. Lawler dug a good low kick. Covington advanced behind a combo and put his foe back on the mat.
Covington worked a few kicks to open the second round before flurrying and scoring another takedown. Covington scored with a hard elbow when Lawler popped back up. In the open, Lawler dug another low kick before being forced back to the mat. With Lawler’s back the fence, Covington landed a few strong punches before putting Lawler on his back yet again. Lawler worked back to his feet, but he did not throw much, allowing Covington to keep the jab on him and find openings. In particular, Covington landed a few hard kicks to the mid-section.
A strong double leg from Covington blasted Lawler from his feet to open the third, momentarily placing him on the mat. Lawler separated and landed a couple jabs, moving forward. Strong left connected for Lawler. Covington stood his ground and fired back a couple power shots before attempting another takedown. Lawler landed a good uppercut in the clinch but ate a knee. A jump knee attempt led to another shot from Covington. On the feet, Covington pushed forward behind the 1-2 and kicks. Covington landed a hard cross but ate a big hook from Lawler. More body work from Covington, and he landed a nice left hand right before the bell.
Covington kept attacking the leg and working his jab to start the fourth. Covington drove his foe into the fence but was not able to land a takedown. He did, however, land some good strikes from the clinch afterward. Lawler moved his head well, but he didn’t throw much other than the occasional jab. A hard uppercut connected for Covington, interrupting Lawler’s head movement and creating an opening for a blast double. Lawler sprung back up, but he was once again stuck on the fence. Covington landed some good elbows from that position before eating an uppercut.
With five minutes remaining, Lawler absolutely needed a finish. The two traded jabs to open the final frame. Covington used a takedown attempt to jam Lawler into the fence briefly. Covington landed a couple hard knees from the clinch. Lawler began walking his foe down but still had a difficult time pulling the trigger. Good body shot-uppercut combo lands for Lawler. A few good punches connected for Lawler, who began getting even more aggressive. A couple good jabs landed for Lawler. Covington returned the favor. A tornado kick from Covington missed but allowed Covington to land a spinning back fist just before the bell.
This was really classic Covington. His nonstop mix of wrestling and dirty boxing early really hamstrung Lawler, allowing Covington to box more from the center with good success. Hopefully, we’ll finally see Covington and Usman square off before the end of the year.
Result: Covington def. Lawler via unanimous decision
For complete UFC on ESPN 5: “Covington vs. Lawler” results and coverage click HERE.