There may be no such thing as a perfect fight, but Colby Covington came close in the UFC Newark main event at Prudential Center on Saturday, as he mixed striking, grappling and a relentless pace to shut out former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler over five rounds.
Scores were 50-44 and 50-45 twice for the No. 2-ranked Covington, now 15-1. The No. 11-ranked Lawler falls to 28-14 with 1 NC.
A wild exchange opened the fight, with neither Covington getting a takedown or Lawler landing a knockout blow. Covington did subsequently lock up with Lawler, eventually getting “Ruthless” down to the mat in the second minute. Lawler drilled Covington with an elbow as he rose, but Covington wasn’t going anywhere, and with three minutes left, he dragged Lawler to the mat and looked for a choke. But with a minute left, Lawler exploded back to his feet and got some daylight. Covington scored another takedown, again looking for a choke before throwing a big flurry as the two stood just before the horn.
Covington continued to swarm Lawler with his takedowns and clinch game in round two, and “Chaos” was even getting the best of the striking game when the two stood. That didn’t mean Lawler wasn’t still dangerous, but at this stage of the fight, the former champ was getting dominated everywhere.
Lawler had some moments in the third, briefly stunning Covington with a right hand as he stayed on his feet for much of the round, but the work rate of the former interim champ remained suffocating, and nothing let up from the Covington side in the fourth and fifth frames, as Lawler was befuddled by the constant stream of strikes coming his way, unable to land the punch that would turn the fight around, much to the chagrin of the fans in attendance who chanted for their favorite throughout the five-rounder.
