Kamaru Usman's continued rise as a UFC Welterweight coincides with Rafael dos Anjos' continued descent.
The up-kick from RDA lands, but Usman just ate it! #TUFFinale pic.twitter.com/npUIquBTEp
— UFC (@ufc) December 1, 2018
The 31-year old #5 ranked Usman remained undefeated in the UFC during Friday night's The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale, defeating former UFC Lightweight Champion and #3-ranked welterweight Rafael dos Anjos. Aside from a few fleeting moments throughout the fight, it was all Usman from the opening bell on his way to a unanimous decision victory.
dos Anjos goes for the kimura, but Usman rolls out then starts landing shots of his own! #TUFFinale pic.twitter.com/bAcN2VmPkT
— UFC (@ufc) December 1, 2018
Usman used his superior wrestling to wear down dos Anjos to yet another decision win -- of his 11 wins on UFC and TUF, all but two went to the scorecards. In the middle rounds, Usman opened up his striking game and implemented body strikes and combinations.
Usman is teeing off on RDA here in round 5! #TUFFinale pic.twitter.com/qncLrEi9FQ
— UFC (@ufc) December 1, 2018
You can see an excerpt from our live coverage below.
Round Five: The round begins with Usman attacking Dos Anjos with a multiple punch combination, Usman backs Dos Anjos into the cage wall while landing more strikes. Usman drags Dos Anjos to the ground and he gets back control, Dos Anjos gets back up as Usman nails him with more strikes. Usman scores another takedown on Dos Anjos and he gets side control, Usman gains the half guard against Dos Anjos while attacking him with ground and pound. Dos Anjos eventually forces Usman into his full guard while eating more strikes, Usman swings away at Dos Anjos as the round ends.
Fightful scores the round 10-9 for Usman (Final Score:50-45 for Usman)
Official Result: #5 Kamaru Usman def. #3 Rafael Dos Anjos by unanimous decision (50-43, 49-45, 48-47)
Usman is now 9-0 in the UFC, excluding the two fights he won in the TUF house. He holds notable wins over Demian Maia, Leon Edwards and Sean Strickland. After the bout, Usman declared his intent to compete for the UFC Welterweight Title.
You can check out our full UFC TUF Finale coverage at this link, and we'll be doing a weekend MMA event wrap up Saturday night after UFC Australia.
