Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Kamaru Usman Best Fights: Watch the Fighter in Action at UFC 268

Kamaru Usman UFC Profile

UFC 268: Usman vs Covington 2 is happening on Saturday, featuring a long-awaited rematch between the two top welterweights in the world of MMA. This will be the fifth consecutive title defense for reigning UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has rocketed through the ranks since signing on with the league in 2015, racking up an undefeated record (his one and only professional MMA so far was in 2013, before he joined the UFC), and if you’re looking for something to do before you watch UFC 268 online this weekend, we’ve highlighted Kamaru Usman’s five best fights here. Then, be sure to sign up for ESPN+ and grab the UFC 268 PPV at a discount so you can stream it live on Saturday and watch some of Usman’s past fights for yourself.

The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale: Usman vs. Hassan

Kamaru Usman made his UFC debut in 2015 in the 21st season of The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC’s long-running reality series. In the July finale, Usman was chosen by his team to face Hayder Hassan. After an impressive first-round showing, Usman got staggered briefly in the second before taking Hassan to the mat and trapping him with an arm-triangle choke, forcing his opponent into submission at the 1:19 mark. This victory earned Usman his first Performance of the Night award along with a full contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship — his golden ticket into the world’s biggest MMA league — and he’s been on a tear ever since.

UFC on Fox 17: Usman vs. Edwards

Usman was next slated to face Leon Edwards in his first official UFC event following his stint on The Ultimate Fighter. In December 2015, the two met in the Octagon in Orlando, Florida, and both fighters went the distance in a three-round fight on the early preliminary card. Usman’s long wrestling experience and grappling skills proved too much for Edwards’ stand-up game, and The Nigerian Nightmare clinched a unanimous decision victory following a dominant third-round performance.

UFC Fight Night 116: Usman vs. Moraes

Usman is a wrestler through and through, having competed since high school. That said, the Nigerian-born fighter is a capable striker, and his performance at UFC Fight Night 116 in 2017 highlighted his knockout power. In Pittsburg, Usman went fist to fist with Brazilian mixed martial artist Sergio Moraes. Rather than go for his trademark takedowns and grappling, Usman came out swinging, knocking Moraes down early. The Brazilian briefly recovered before Usman delivered KO via punch 2:48 into the first round — the Nigerian’s first knockout win in the UFC, but not his last.

UFC 235: Usman vs. Woodley

After several noteworthy main card performances, Usman finally got his title shot at UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith in March 2019. For the co-main event at this PPV, Usman challenged then-champion Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight title. The Nigerian was the clear underdog headed into this fight but once again put on a dominant showing with his hybrid striking/clinching style. Woodley went the distance but ultimately lost his belt when Usman emerged the victor via unanimous decision, becoming the first African-born UFC champion, cementing himself as the best welterweight combatant in the league, and kicking off a title reign that continues to this day.

UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington

Usman is facing Colby Covington this Saturday at UFC 268, but every MMA fan knows this isn’t their first meeting. The UFC’s top two welterweights stepped into the cage in December 2019 at UFC 245, where the newly crowned champion would have to defend his title for the first time following his victory over Edwards nine months earlier. The fight, which was the main event, was a close contest that lasted right up to the final minute of the final round, when Usman delivered a barrage of punches to Covington to claim the win (and successfully defend the belt) via TKO stoppage.

Covington remains the No. 1 ranked fighter on the UFC welterweight roster right underneath the champ himself, and he’s once again challenging Usman for the belt. If you want to watch the UFC 268 livestream online and see for yourself how this high-stakes rematch is going to go down (and watch replays of some of Usman’s best fights), then now’s the perfect time to sign up for ESPN+. New subscribers can get a one-year subscription along with the UFC 268 PPV for $90 and save $50.

Editors' Recommendations

How Many Rounds Are There in a UFC Fight?
how many rounds are there in a ufc fight mma  178 mcgregor vs poirier

It's such a simple question, like quarters in football or periods in hockey: How many rounds are in an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight? The answer is harder to answer: It depends on what type of fight and when. While the UFC specifically and mixed martial arts in general are growing year over year in participation, Pay-per-View buys, and ESPN livestreams, along with that growth has come refinements to its rules and structure over the past 27 years. So to answer the question of rounds in a UFC fight, you have to go back to the beginning.

In the beginning, MMA visionary Art Davie created the UFC. Held in Denver, Colo., on November 12, 1993, its structure was set up as a one-night March Madness-style draw, where winning fighters would advance through the bracket until a champion emerged. It was only men, bare knuckles, no holds barred, and minimal rules. There were also no rounds, with fights, in very Fight Club style, lasting as long as they had to until one guy was either knocked out or submitted. It could be incredibly exciting. It also could be a terrific bore.

Read more
How Long Is a UFC Fight? The Rules, Explained
Charles Oliveira fighting Tony Ferguson at UFC 256.

Dustin Poirier punches Max Holloway in their interim lightweight championship bout on April 2019. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

In the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, there were no time limits. They weren't even considered necessary. Cage fighting, as it was called before the term "mixed martial arts" existed, was a quick and violent endeavor. The UFC's first official contest lasted a mere 23 seconds and ended with a guy getting kicked in the chops so hard that one of his teeth, freshly knocked from his mouth, nearly hit an announcer sitting ringside. All that changed after UFC 5 when, in a much-hyped rematch of UFC 1's final, Royce Gracie faced off against Ken Shamrock. What happened there would go down as a flashpoint moment in MMA history regarding its evolution into the sport we all know and love today.

Read more
Peña vs Nunes 2 is Headlining UFC 277 — Here’s What Happened Last Time
ufc 277 pena vs nunes rematch 2

UFC 277 is coming this Saturday, bringing one of the most exciting and interesting rematches of 2022 as the main event. Newly crowned UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña will defend her title for the first time against former bantamweight and current women's featherweight champ Amanda Nunes, following their last encounter at UFC 269 which resulted in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. If you didn't catch the action last time, read on to learn more about the history between these two fighters, and then be sure to sign up for ESPN+ and grab the UFC 277 PPV bundle deal so you don't miss a thing this weekend.

Amanda "The Lioness" Nunes is one of those UFC stars who hardly needs an introduction. Widely considered to be the best female MMA fighter in the world, the 34 year-old Brazilian is the first woman to hold UFC championships in two divisions and is the first and only champ to have successfully defended and retained two titles while still holding them. Nunes currently holds a record of 21 wins and five losses, and remains the number one-ranked female bantamweight fighter.

Read more