On Friday, at the TUF 28 Finale, Kamaru Usman (14-1) dominated former Lightweight champion and current Welterweight contender Rafael Dos Anjos (28-11).
Usman had little trouble taking down Dos Anjos at will. The scorecards at the end of their bout read: 50-43, 49-45 and 48-47, all in favor of the “Nigerian Nightmare.” So dominant, in fact, even that 48-47 tally from judge Chris Lee seemed too close.
The performance marked Usman’s 13th-straight victory, including nine in a row in the UFC. He landed 190 total strikes while managing 11 takedowns as well. Altogether, it was par for the course for a man who has yet to taste defeat in inside the Octagon.
Usman gets the statement win, and our crew is here to break it all down. pic.twitter.com/jO0G0e2u5B
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) December 1, 2018
Dos Anjos, a great fighter in his own right, had no answers for what his opponent had for him tonight. The bout was not a complete wash as Dos Anjos actually landed a few nice shots—like an up-kick that snapped Usman’s head backwards.
However, those bright moments for Dos Anjos we’re few and far between. Usman was relentless throughout the entire five rounds.
Carrying a wide lead into Round 5, the bruiser out of Texas, by way of Nigeria, did not sit back and milk the clock. Instead he pressed forward and began teeing off on Dos Anjos and almost forced a stoppage.
Usman has always looked impressive in his career but tonight was possibly his best performance. With a showing like this it seems as though a bout for the UFC welterweight championship, between either Tyron Woodley or Colby Covington, is in the near future.
“I’m a man on a mission.” Usman said in the cage after the fight. “I’m coming for that Welterweight strap. Tonight, I hope I took a step closer towards that.”
