UFC on ESPN 5 Results: Colby Covington Beats Robbie Lawler in Main Event

Colby Covington set up a possible UFC welterweight title matchup with champion Kamaru Usman thanks to a unanimous-decision victory over Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 5 on Saturday.

Covington, who was ranked as the No. 2 welterweight before the match, improved to 15-1 for his professional career after winning his seventh straight bout.

Here's a look at the entire card's results from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

UFC on ESPN 5 Results

Main Card

Welterweight: Colby Covington (15-1) defeated Robbie Lawler (28-14, 1 NC) via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-45)

Lightweight: Jim Miller (31-13, 1 NC) defeated Clay Guida (35-19) via first-round submission (guillotine choke) at 0:58

Lightweight: Nasrat Haqparast (11-2) defeated Joaquim Silva via second-round knockout (punches) at 0:36

Middleweight: Gerald Meerschaert (28-11) defeats Trevin Giles (11-2) via third-round submission (guillotine choke) at 1:49

Lightweight: Scott Holtzman (13-3) defeats Dong Hyun Ma (16-9-3) via second-round doctor stoppage at 5:00

Light Heavyweight: Kennedy Nzechukwu (7-1) defeats Darko Stosic (13-3) via unanimous decision (29-26, 28-27, 28-27)

Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir (15-4) vs. Ilir Latifi (14-6, 1 NC): canceled

Preliminary Card

Welterweight: Mickey Gall (6-2) defeats Salim Touahri (10-4) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Women's Flyweight: Antonina Shevchenko (8-1) defeats Lucie Pudilova (8-5) via second-round submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:20

Flyweight: Matt Schnell (14-4) defeats Jordan Espinosa (14-6, 1 NC) via first-round submission (triangle choke) at 1:23

Women Flyweight: Lauren Murphy (11-4) defeats Mara Romero Borella (12-6, 2 NC) via third-round knockout (knee and elbows) at 1:46

Welterweight: Claudio Silva (14-1) defeats Cole Williams (11-2) via first-round submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:35

Women's Flyweight: Miranda Granger (5-0) defeats Hannah Goldy (5-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Main Card Recaps

Colby Covington vs. Robbie Lawler

Covington controlled the co-main event from start to finish en route to a statement win.

The 31-year-old landed 172 significant strikes to Lawler's 77, per UFC Stats. He also registered 10 takedowns to Lawler's zero.

Covington was the clear aggressor during the fight as well, throwing more than three times as many significant strikes than Lawler (510-169).

ESPN's Ariel Helwani tweeted that Covington had "superior pace, cardio and pressure." Brett Okamoto of ESPN also mentioned Covington's pace, calling it "insane" during the first round and citing his "non-stop work" in the second.

That was the theme of the entire fight, and Damon Martin of MMA Fighting summed it up:

"Covington kept a blistering pace throughout all five rounds mixing up a volume striking attack with a suffocating grappling game to stifle Lawler in virtually every exchange over 25 minutes. When the fight was over, Covington knew he had secured the victory with the scorecards reading 50-44, 50-45 and 50-45."

Covington, who was supported by First Family members Eric and Donald Trump Jr. and was the subject of a good-luck tweet from President Donald Trump earlier in the day, called out Usman post-match:

In addition, he directly issued an insult to Lawler by citing a tragic accident to his friend and training partner Matt Hughes:

Hughes was involved in a serious accident when his truck was hit by a train in 2017. He suffered significant injuries but survived.

Per Helwani, Lawler did not respond to the comments in his own post-match interview.

As far as the potential Usman bout, Okamoto provided his quick take:

Covington said post-match that he would like to fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Jim Miller vs. Clay Guida

Jim Miller didn't waste much time in his home-state fight, as he defeated Clay Guida with a first-round guillotine choke just 58 seconds into the bout:

Miller, who is from Sparta Township, New Jersey, ducked a right hand before landing a left and locking in the chokehold. Following the fast win, analysts were quick to praise the MMA veteran's performance:

UFC also posted stats showcasing where Miller's record stands after the emphatic victory:

Three of Miller's last four matches have now ended with a submission win.

Joaquim Silva vs. Nasrat Haqparast

A rising star continued his ascent as Nasrat Haqparast defeated Joaquim Silva via second-round knockout:

Haqparast's quick left hook caught Silva by surprise, and the 23-year-old finished the job less than a minute into the second round.

Haqparast was dominating the fight before the knockout. Per UFC Stats, he landed 18 significant strikes to Silva's head and took zero on the other end.

Nine of Haqparast's 11 wins have come via knockout or TKO.

"I'm a power striker," Haqparast said post-match, per Martin. "Joaquim is a tough, tough guy. I had to bring the best today. We are coming for everybody."

That last line is hard to argue after Haqparast's dominant fight.

Gerald Meerschaert vs. Trevin Giles

Gerald Meerschaert defeated Trevin Giles via a third-round guillotine choke to stop a two-match losing streak and earn his 29th professional victory:

Significant strikes were few and far between in this one, with both men combining for just 14 until the submission, per UFC Stats.

However, the fight soon ended quickly: Bloody Elbow mentioned how Giles passed out in the third round after the referee missed his tap.

MMA journalist James Lynch mentioned how important the win may have been for Meerschaert:

Giles fell to 11-2.

Scott Holtzman vs. Dong Hyun Ma

Scott Holtzman defeated Dong Hyun Ma in two rounds after a doctor stoppage.

A swollen eye was the cause:

The fight nearly ended before it even began, though, as Dong missed weight by two pounds, per Danny Segura of MMA Fighting:

The action was fast and furious once it began, though, with Martin breaking it down:

"An early contender for 'Fight of the Night,' Holtzman and Dong were blasting away at each other for two straight rounds but it was that stinging straight punch that knocked down the South Korean fighter in the first that caused a massive amount of swelling under his left eye."

Per UFC Stats, Holtzman landed 44 of 92 significant strikes compared to Dong's 16-of-58 mark. Thirty-six of Holtzman's successful strikes occurred in the second round.

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Darko Stosic

A win is a win no matter how a fight develops, so Kennedy Nzechukwu will take his unanimous-decision win over Darko Stosic despite it clearly being the night's ugliest bout.

Stosic landed three groin strikes on Nzechukwu, who won anyway despite characterizing his performance as "horrible."

"I know my performance was horrible, but that third groin shot hurt me," Nzechukwu said post-match. Bloody Elbow retorted that the line "[summed] that fight up perfectly."

Nzechukwu further explained how much the final one hurt:

Okamoto also provided some insight on the match's aesthetic value:

John Morgan of MMAjunkie showcased the scorecard that proved the same sentiment while noting Stosic still wouldn't have won even sans the point docks:

Ultimately, Nzechukwu knows he must improve, per his post-match remarks.

"This win is bittersweet," he said. "I didn't perform. In the gym, I'm a killer, but that doesn't mean anything if I can't implement the game plan. I'm just happy I got the win."

The 27-year-old Nzechukwu got back on the winning track after losing his first professional fight to Paul Craig in March.