Did Covington Land a Takedown on Usman? - A Look at the Unified Rules of MMA
The past weekend housed UFC 268, headlined by Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and challenger Colby Covington. The fight ended in a unanimous decision win for Usman after a well contested bout. During this fight there was a moment that quickly became a point of debate in the MMA community. At the end of round 3, Covington got to Usman’s back and managed to trip him and get him down for a second before Usman worked his way back up to his feet. Daniel Cormier who was commentating called it a take down, which is a big deal given that Usman was coming into this fight with a 100% takedown defense. A few seconds later though, Joe Rogan told DC that it was not counted as a takedown. This sparked debate in the MMA community as to whether it should have been counted as a takedown or not. In this video we take a look at the unified rules of MMA to come to a verdict.
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Do some real journalism. That's why you guys are fake. I clearly took him down. - colby chaos Covington
Hey could you explain how gervonta davis punches so hard, cant find out hes wrist size or hand size and would relly like to know?
So is everyone going to ignore that Colby took Usman down in the first and Usman reversed it? Also why is nobody adressing Usman grabbibg the cage? Like Colby was taking him down and Usman grabbed the cage. And Yes I said Maia took him down to. Saying a guy needs to be in top control fir ut to count is like saying a guy getting dropped only counts if he lays flat on his back. It's BS.
Usman reversed it to his takedown so Usman should've gotten a takedown for that. He also had his finger in the cage for like 2 seconds and Dan fixed it. Also it didn't say you need top control, just some offensive, which colby didnt have
Colby lost again, deal with it. Getting someone to their knee for half a second is barely anything
@@themmascene5325 No it counts as Usman getting down and reversing the take down aka effective grappling defense. Getting taken diwn is getting taken down. By your logic Colby was never taken down before since he has always reversed the take downs. It's beyond biased.
@@abiram96 It is significant if the other guy needs to cheat to keep you from haveing complete control. Also there were 3 take downs in the fight, 2 were completely successfully with the 3rd being debatable (again because Usman was cheating with illegal strikes). I don't see how it's controversial to call a spade a spade.
Tell me you don’t understand wrestling without telling me you don’t understand wrestling💀
Unified MMA rules are full of stinkers like this. The biggest thing that comes to mind is Petr Yan taking Sterling down. There were 3 times Yan took Sterling down but did nothing offensively until he let Sterling back to his feet. Yet it scores as a takedown. MMA really needs to get its shit together in properly defining these types of things, along with getting better judges who actually understand the judging criteria in MMA.
They gotta make some amendments, its been years since
@@abiram96 why because your favorite fighter lost?😄
It wouldn’t have mattered anyway because Yan was a bonehead. Judges understand the MMA criteria, but unfortunately, its the fans who don’t. Most MMA fans get upset over decisions but have no clue how to score fights. Valentina vs Nunes 2, Jones vs Reyes, Hendricks vs St. Pierre. The unified scoring system changes and the judges keep up with them, but the fans don’t
@@xftbllplyr2091 Yes judging is "top notch" in the UFC for sure! Never any problems with scoring or decisions in any fight...........K bud..... I think Covington had a takedown by the fence. Cormier thought so at the time as well. I feel like a ton of people at UFC want his Kamaru's TD defense stat to stay intact for marketing so they aren't going to argue with the call😄
@@mrdumbfellow927 Judging is done by the athletic commissions, not the UFC. So we see the same judges across different promotions as well. Each judge recognize different scoring rules by different states as well. Most MMA fans don’t know the difference. Are the judges perfect, no. But that’s why they have 3 of them to overrule a potential draw. But if you actually read the scoring of what a TD is, then you would know it is a FACT that Colby didn’t get that takedown. But the ironic thing is that Usman scored one on Colby. But I guess Colby fans need to try to squeeze one little small victory by losing twice to a better fighter, Usman
Colby defo took him down he got the back got the trip and took Usman from upright to on his hands and knees and Usman couldn't get upright until he crawled to the cage and used it to get UP once he got up he ate a knee so Covington defo took him down
He was literally down for at most, 1 second, and the knee came like 10 seconds after they stood up. It was in the clinch and didnt come from the takedown
@@abiram96 was still a takedown pal control time ain’t the same thing as taking a man down
@@jboogzdnb did you not watch the video? In mma just bringing someone down doesnt count, have to mount an attack as well
@@abiram96 your saying the knee landing 10 seconds after they stood up... You can't be serious no one can be that far out with a live clock counting down during the fight and that's without counting the strikes landed whilst kamaru used the cage to get up 🤣
nope....he tried. he failed.
DC's has been taken down for the first time against Jones was also via trip and it was counted a takedown. Colby pulled him down twice and wasn't a takedown.
Stipe took him down too just before he knocked him out.
He took him down then controlled his leg which caused the second “fall”
Or you could look at it this way He did not controll him the first time or the second time as usman got away both times. The ufc take down rule makes way more sense to me as you have to have an attack follow up or be in control of the person streight after a take down. Other wise why would you get a point for knocking someone off balance when ur not following up with anything
@@rikkiit452 I see why MMA does this. What if a fighter just pushes a guy and he falls? Would that be a knockdown? No. Just as a fighter just trips a guy or grabs his leg after a kick and pulls/pushes him off balance. They don’t score that even in kickboxing. MMA is more than wrestling so I can see why they see a takedown with just more than just getting a guy down
@@xftbllplyr2091 covington did fight very well tho
@@xftbllplyr2091 "A takedown is awarded when a fighter deliberately grapples his opponent to the ground and establishes an advantageous position for an appreciable amount of time." -unified rules deliberate? absolutely advantageous position? he had a full body lock and back control for 12 seconds appreciable? usman had both hands and both knees on the ground for a total of about 4 seconds, plus another 2-3 seconds on 1 knee. case closed
@@rikkiit452 they counted chandlers slam as a takedown when Justin was in the process of reversing it before he even touched the ground and instantly took chandlers back once it hit the ground. That was less control than what Colby had and it counted. Don’t defend this shitty rule that never gets followed
I'm a big fan of juiceman but it seems obvious colby took him down!
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, reigning heavyweight king Francis Ngannou and former interim lightweight champ Tony Ferguson were among the list of athletes to have passed over 50 USADA tests, as reported by Jeff Novitzky via his official Twitter handle.
Colby lost twice...no one is going to remember a takedown
@@NubiansNapata of course they won’t Bc they aren’t counting it lol oh yeah, he won this fight too
@@NubiansNapata You actually trust USADA after the Mark hunt and Brock situation. He obviously on the juice there are injection marks all over him.
I totally agree. Officially calling it a takedown just because of the change of position would be meaningless and, in my opinion, pathetic.
Usman fan, but that WAS a takedown. Even according to unified rulesets. Colby took him down, control the back and established the attack. In Maia case, he got Usman to the ground. But when they were on ground, Usman was the one controlling.
Usman had knee up about to stand up
NO TAKEDOWN In martial arts a takedown is a technique that involves off-balancing an opponent and bringing him or her to the ground with the attacker landing on top.
Islam makachev and khabib fight
Both Usman's hands and knees touched the mat. That's a 2 point takedown.
in college wrestling it is. In MMA it is not. This is a fight not college wrestling and the rules state what is a take down. This is not.
@@kmonty6188 "A takedown is awarded when a fighter deliberately grapples his opponent to the ground and establishes an advantageous position for an appreciable amount of time." -unified rules deliberate? absolutely advantageous position? he had a full body lock and back control for 12 seconds appreciable? usman had both hands and both knees on the ground for a total of about 4 seconds, plus another 2-3 seconds on 1 knee. case closed
@@carlnickson7353 there was zero advantage,ous position or control. Merely an attempt. Colby didnt control him or inflict any damage whatsever. Not even one punch.
@@kmonty6188 there doesnt need to be damage for it to be counted as a takedown, and he did land punches and a knee
@@kmonty6188 Islam makchev opponent granted Usman grabbed cage third time
The difference between takedowns in freestyle or folkstyle wrestling vs mma is that freestyle and folkstyle put an emphasis on position. Mma puts an emphasis on damage or intent.
he did took him down . for sure
Nope
Are we following the rules. If the rule is garbage the let it be rewritten, but I believe it was not made for Usman in mind. So I’d concede that it was not a take down
@@henrynwosu1 its a take down, i think the ufc should change the rule a bit, but it shouldnt give colby extra points if he didnt do anything with the take down. Statistically though it should say usman got taken down tho
@@Jay-fe2to you misunderstand me Jay. I think it’s a take down too. But when the rules written before the fight says it not. We can then say as per the rules they follow, it is not a take down. However there is need to update the rules concerning take downs.
@@henrynwosu1 but that rule was ignored for chandler
No take down, no control, no attack, quickly reversed control. More like 2 guys falling down.
One riding back
Looked like a take down to me but I don't know shit about MMA so just a casuals opinion
So how were J. Jones takedowns against D. Reyes counted? I don't remember him causing any damage at all, with Reyes saying as such in the post fight interview.
Jones took him down and got control time.
Usman had a wizard on maia that way it wasn’t 2
whizzer*
That’s 2 points in the wrestling world so it should be a takewown in MMA easily
MMA isnt scored the same way as wrestling.
@@kmonty6188 but a takedown is a takedown? If you force someone down, it is taking them down. They always counted takedowns where opponents scrambled back up immediately and weren’t controlled. Until it’s against usman lol
@@dirty_danxx no they dont. Rule been the same likev 20 yrs
@@dirty_danxx mma rules are different then college wrestling.
@@kmonty6188 really? So how didn’t chandler’s failed slam get counted? Dude almost knocked himself out and gaethje was already reversing mid air and was on chandler’s back immediately. Chandler was closer to taking himself out than anything yet that counted. Wonder why. Bc Justin’s not usman and ufc didn’t need to protect a stat
100% Not a Takedown
The rules is subjective which makes the rule stupid.
The same people who think Colby didn't take Usman down are the same people who think Khabob is the GOAT.
agree with the rules on place
Good shit bro, I think Colby should test the deep waters down at 155.
Glad you enjoyed! That'd be fun to see for sure
He’s comfortable at 170 I don’t think he’ll ever think about going down to 155
he doesn’t wanna gain an advantage over fighters nor kill his body for it. He stated in the interview he’s fighting at 170.
he is good enough even great enough in 170
If he could make 155, I feel like he would fuck everyone up down there
Thank you for the informative breakdown. What a bizarre facet to that rule. They can't just take them down but have to establish an attack? Wouldn't the attack still be separate from the takedown itself where Colby got Usman down on his knees, even if for a split second (which clearly shows how utterly phenomenal Usman is but still can't allow for Colby's phenomenal wrestling to be ignored)?
Colby fans aren’t going to like this
Colby won three rounds then 3,4,5
I thought so too but hey, I'm an MMA casual, boxing is more my sport and it looked like Colby won 3-5 and Usman should have had a 10-8 round in round 2 but the judges scored it 10-9
Colby lost get over it
@@NubiansNapata won 3"4"5 and if illegal head strikes gets points deductions then first too only one score Usman was up
What about those several stuffed takedowns where Colby ended up on all fours? Should they count against him in points as if it's a takedown?
You need to deliberately grapple the opponent to the ground "A takedown is awarded when a fighter deliberately grapples his opponent to the ground and establishes an advantageous position for an appreciable amount of time." -unified rules deliberate? absolutely advantageous position? he had a full body lock and back control for 12 seconds appreciable? usman had both hands and both knees on the ground for a total of about 4 seconds, plus another 2-3 seconds on 1 knee. case closed
You literally said it in your own statement yourself that it was a stuffed takedown. Lol. Meaning he stuffed it. 😂
@@liferipsfam Mr Ng, If you would have cared to watch the video, you have noticed the point being made ie Colby deserved to get points for getting Usman on his knees for less than a second. Well, Colby spent dozens of seconds on all fours when his several takedowns were stuffed and when he was KD'd twice. How many points should have been awarded to Kamaru for those?
@@kundakaps lol. You literally said it yourself that it was stuffed. Meaning it was an attempt to stop a takedown not go for a takedown. Which in overall means there was no attempt of a takedown. Stuffing a takedown is not the same as attempting a takedown. 😂 If Usman had attempted a takedown and got Colby on all fours from a bodylock position and doesn't get credited for a takedown, then you would be right, but he didn't. lol. He just stuffed a takedown. And what does being knocked down twice have to do anything with the takedown? He got knocked down twice and lost the round. Should have been a 10-8 but that's a different subject. The fact that you are deviating from the main subject shows me you are just grasping at any straw to make yourself sound smart, but you just end up owning yourself. 😂😂😂. Please try again😂😂😂
@@liferipsfam How many points is Colby owed for his "takedown" on Kamaru? There are different ways of stuffing a takedown. Kamaru on a couple of occasions actually ended up being in a dominant position & Colby down on all fours. That's not just mere takedown stuffing. If you wanna give points for Colby holding Kamaru for 2 seconds, you gonna give zero points for Kamaru reversing a takedown attempt & putting Colby on his ass? The comparison to being knocked down is to show how silly awarding points for a weak-ass 2 sec "takedown" is (which the unified rules doesn't even recognise as one). Colby was put on his ass twice and held on to dear life & would have been finished had it not been for the bell.
So he had Usman back while Usman was on his hands and knees, Maia was in a different positions he didn’t have his back fully and Usman had a wiser in
Look at usman vs Maïa hé didnt get dropped down like Colby did yo him
And when they were on the ground, Usman was controlling Maia’s arm. Colby took him down and got his back. The arguments should already be over. (I’m Usman fan)
@@thomashan4963 got his back? Do you know what getting someone back even means in wrestling?
@@eli.0006 I’m not talking about the sport where grown men hugging each other aggressively.
@@thomashan4963 you said colby got his back. Colby didn't get Usmans back. You dont have to watch wrestling to know that. Dumbass
@@eli.0006 I’m not interested in the sport where guys hugging to win. Don’t put that terminology in the real fight. Colby definitely got Usman’s back
I mean both knees hit the floor it's a takedown 🤷🏿♂️
If both knees hit the ground due to your opponents crappie. It's a take down.
Maia didn’t get a takedown Usman had a wizzer, Colby did get a takedown
Muy bien 👍
Thank you!
The take down rule should be if you get them to the ground and you have a position to attack not if you attack.
In a wrestling sense yes but not MMA sense.
Three take down consecutive
Based video
🙏
Tackdown by Foot Sweep
If you know anything about folk style wrestling you would know that Colby’s takedown would count and maias wouldn’t
I would of loved those both to be considered takedowns, but I'm under the assumption that if you can't secure control by pin or do damage while he was on all 4's after the "takedown" ha then its not considered a takedown in mma. Interesting 🤔
Khabib knocking down Conor didnt count as a knockdown either
Well you assume wrong, Colby had his back and a body lock and took Kamaru down to one knee twice in 5 seconds. Thats a takedown plain y
Wow what an idiot. Delusional
Colby took him down third time he grabbed cage Colby was in dominating position pressed him against cage
No you wouldn't. It will give point fighters an edge. This is MMA not wrestling.
He also went for 11 takedowns the whole fight and only got one still impressive, but it’s a takedown in my book but I can see why you could argue, I’ve seen multiple fights where this exact thing happens and they don’t count it
I said it was a take down but if they were laid down rules that were present before the fight, then following those rules, it’s no takdown
@@henrynwosu1 yeah Ik it’s not a takedown but even if it was he went for 11 and can only argue for 1 of them, I’m actually glad it wasn’t counted I like seeing someone have 100% take down defense
@@henrynwosu1 I didn’t mean to say he only got one because he didn’t get any
@@hifly013 😉
@@hifly013 it was a takedown. If chandlers failed attempt at a slammed that almost knocked himself out and had gaethje reversing it mid air and taking his back the second he touched the ground is counted, then Colby using actual technique to drag usman down twice should count. This rule is fucked and the reason no one knows about it and everyone’s failing to explain it is bc it was never used before this
That’s definitely a takedown… gotta take someone down and go to ground and pound to “secure” a takedown?? Come on…
He did
It was a takedown for sure.
But not scored one. Look at the video, casual
uh....no. Not in MMA. The rules are different in MMA. College wrestling thats a take down but this isnt College wrestling. This is MMA.
that's not a takedown
that's a failed takedown
Colby had a take down for sure bc he established control... maybe for a second but it was control! Damian did not be Usman had a whizzer in. That is not considered controlling someone.
You cant have contol in one second. Stop lying to yourself
It was obviously a take down. Wr don't need to analyse the fkn Unified rules, if you have eyes you can see it was a take down, he just couldn't keep him down.
Whether or not it should count is definitely up for debate, the videos goal is just to look at why the UFC didn't 'officially' count it on the record books
Maia def didn’t get a takedown because of the whizzer, but Covington was covering the hips and so it would be a takedown
Why worrying about a take down when you still lost the fight?
Good point lol
I guess so usman cant claim perfect defense anymore
losing is irrelevant, the unified rules are still bad.
it was a draw
Usman is now in talks for GOAT status. If you can establish yourself as breaking one of his streaks, then you give yourself a small part of that legacy.
Not a takedown and it doesn’t matter still lost
Weakest takedown in UFC history and we’re debating when it didn’t matter
And yet you still called it a takedown. 😄 The rule just doesn't get applied consistently, DC even considered it a takedown. He has a bit of experience with takedowns I'd say.
@@mrdumbfellow927 MMA takedowns require a fighter to attain a controlling ground position and Covington did not. This differs compared to how takedowns are scored in wrestling matches...
Guys, it was a take down. Usman won a superrrr close fight, props to him. However this was a takedown, plain and simple.
Then chandler didn’t get a take down
Demian Maia did not take down Usman. Usman had a whizzer in
Yes he did.
This isn’t wrestling, this is Fighting. A takedown is just a change of position
Cage grabbing still Colby pressed him against cage that's control time
By the rules khabib's take downs Tibau don't count. So funny.
Tibau was in one knee fool
Yes he did 2 times...
He also got drop 2 times
zero times. MMA rules say no take down.
No he didn’t case closed 👍🏻
I think the MMA rules got this right. In order for a takedown to truly mean something there needs to be some level of control afterward. Without it, one fighter slipping due to the weight of his opponent would be considered a takedown.
They never followed this rule till now tho
Colby yes, maia no, but maia got dam close
It was clearly a takedown 100%
99% takedown defence
And still!!!
100 percent a takedown. Maia’s wasn’t a takedown because Usman still had the whizzer in.
whizzer*
Maia had one arm on air
The fact people have to ask shows bias lol.
@@NubiansNapata what was fact about your comment? English please
Thanks for clearing this out for these nerds of MMA. I think even some highly respected wrestlers are jealous of Usman's statistics to the point that they are ready to call this a takedown.
Same was awarded to khabib Islam makchev opponent
@@talhaejax8589 give us the link
@@aledjohope khabib vs Trujillo ,Islam vs his 3 last opponent
@@aledjohope saw it s
@@aledjohope go see
Colby took him down. Problem is he couldn't do anything with it.
Punched him while Usman getting up
Lmaoo...
yes he did lol
Respect Colby for amazing fight, but can't stand his delusional fans, can't believe how some people believe Colby won that lol
Delusional fanboys lol
U can make an argument. Rounds 1 and 3 were close. 4,5 clear for colby imo
Those casual fanboys will say that he won even if he was knocked out like the first fight 😂
@@NadeemAkhtar-of2yq yup 😂
@@dawidoskwarek3960 1 close? In what world
No usman had a wizard still
whizzer*
If what Colby did counted as a takedown, than Usman would have like 200 takedowns by now. Infact everyone's takedown count would likely double or even triple. Just getting your opponent to touch the ground for a few seconds does not count as a takedown.
MAGA better recount the votes
I agree DC suks
Bs!!! That’s 2 all day !!! That’s a takedown Forsure !!
not in MMA. In MMA...no take down. In college wrestling thats 2 pts. This isnt College wrestling.
Short Answer: NO TAKEDOWN Long Answer: NO TAKEDOWN Just Kidding :) NOT
If that's a takedown then a grazing punch must be "a clean strike"
weak
@ MMA Access seeing as how Usman grabbed the fence at one point with both hands and that's illegal, it was a takedown and your failure to mention this huge point in the video makes this an L video. You should reupload addressing the fence grabbing as in UFC 267 one opponent grabbed the top of the cage to avoid being taken down and the referee reset them in the same grappling position except with his hands not grabbing the fence.
That could be a topic for another video but this one was dedicated to that one moment and specific wording of the rule to clear the air of confusion
@@MMAAccess Still doesn't clear the confusion. Usman grabbed the fence to avoid the takedown. Near the end Colby pulled him to the left and you can see Usman reach for and grab the fence with both hands therefore that is multiple fence grabbing that Dan was suppose to deduct a point and/or time out, then reset them in the same position. Pretty sure if Kamaru knew how to defend the takedown near the end of the attempt when Colby did this he wouldn't need to grab the fence and therefore there is a strong argument to be made that his hips would have been on the ground had he not grabbed the cage with both hands more than once.
@@mystermont2019 2 seconds of fence grab doesn't warrant a point deduction and had no significant in impact on the overall outcome of the fight. Covington fans are dimwits. Take your loss and stfu.
@@donatta1857 Pointing out a fence grab with both hands = Colby fan? Yeah ok fan girl. SS strikes difference was only 2 in the 3rd round where it happened so yes it would have made a difference giving Colby rd 3. Go play casual elsewhere you didn't watch the fight.
Even still it wouldn’t have won him the decision lol
I dont even understand why this is a legit question being asked??? I mean everyone watching seen the same shit,Colby took him down twice in 5 seconds and once in the first fight Its just Usman reversed it quickly in fight #1. I see why Colby hates you guys lol
Don't blame us, it was the UFC that decided it wasn't an official takedown based on the unified rules, not our call 🤷♂️
It goes to show how great Usman is when opponents and their fans start counting takedowns as a win
Um,it affects the scorecard genius.
Take down is decisive factor that means Colby won 3,4,5 rounds eventually won fight
@@talhaejax8589 but the fight stats says no takedown colby won 4 and 5 , 3 was a draw and 2 was 10-8 kamaru. Kamaru won it
You all know it was a takedown.. quit ruining the sport by just choosing what you believe to see. It happened get over it. Usman still won.
Personal feelings aside, according to the rules it wasn't a successful takedown, thats the whole point of the video
@@abiram96 personal feeling aside it was a takedown.
@@bailsaz did you read the rule or nah? Its not that complicated
@@abiram96 lmao the rule for a takedown is the opponent is unwillingly put onto on knee, or elbow. So if we’re talking technically, it’s a takedown. I don’t know where this bs control and seconds rule came from. It’s not true. I can pull up 100s of fights where the fighter was brought to his knee for a split second and it counted as a takedown. You literally got Usman as your profile name you fkn fan boy. Just stop commenting.
@@bailsaz the video literally takes the definition from the unified rules of mma, so quoting strictly wrestling rules makes no sense. If anything youre right and those other takedowns shouldnt have counted either, like with khabib and trujillo, at least a few of those were barely a takedown
That was a takedown.