CHICAGO – Using relentless aggression over the course of 25 minutes, Colby Covington (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) outpointed Rafael dos Anjos (28-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) en route to claiming an interim UFC welterweight title.

The bout was the co-main event of today’s UFC 225 show at United Center in Chicago. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Covington rushed forward at the opening bell and wasted little time in dragging dos Anjos to the floor. While dos Anjos moved quickly back to his feet, Covington was relentless inside, holding tight to the body and pressing his opponent to the cage. Battling free for space, dos Anjos’ cauliflowered left ear opened up, dripping blood down the side of his head. He did create some space briefly, but Covington moved quickly back inside.

While there was constant pressure, dos Anjos remained calm and continued to seek space to strike. A right uppercut landed clean, but Covington continued to press forward, moving to the clinch. A few Covington elbows landed to the side of the head, creating space yet again. Still, Covington refused to slow, walking forward with kicks to the legs in an attempt to move inside. The dos Anjos uppercut remained his best weapon, though with every strike he threw, it was evident that on the feet, he was clearly the more dangerous fighter. Covington pressed the action to the fence once again at the end, and they finished the first in the clinch.

Covington again walked forward at the start of the second, scrambling his way into a brief takedown, but he was unable to keep his opponent on the floor. Still, he pressed dos Anjos to the fence and landed a few short shots inside before they broke away.

Chants of “Colby sucks!” filled the building on the restart. He did get another takedown, but dos Anjos again wouldn’t stay on the floor. A big dos Anjos left landed to the body, and a right scored similarly just behind. Still, Covington was unfazed and unwavering in his approach, moving to the clinch and looking to keep the pressure high. As dos Anjos worked free, he landed a big right over the top that saw his opponent stagger briefly. Covington did show some signs that the grind was slowing him in the latter stages of the round, but he didn’t halt his forward attack.

Covington finally got a clean takedown with a minute left, and he tried to sink his hooks in while taking the back. But dos Anjos did a fine job of peeling him away as he moved to the feet, pulling free and revealing a cut over Covington’s right eye as they reset just before the bell.

Covington sprinted forward to start the third, exchanging right hands before diving into a clinch and continuing his relentless grind. Dos Anjos continued to defend well against the cage, earning himself escapes and using his brief moments of freedom to fire punches to the head and body, but Covington always pushed back inside, keeping his opponent in constant defense. An accidental low blow earned dos Anjos a break, though Covington (unsurprisingly) denied any responsibility.

Covington’s resolve was strong on the restart, again getting immediately inside and pressing the action to the cage. While dos Anjos did work free, it did seem the brutal pace was starting to take its toll. The Brazilian took a look at the clock with 90 seconds left, and Covington actually landed a few crisp shots of his own on the feet. Both men certainly labored in the final seconds, understandable after an absolutely relentless three rounds.

Covington sprinted forward again to start the fourth, but dos Anjos was ready and tagged him with a left hand. Still, Covington was unfazed, comfortable with briefly returning fire on the feet before looking for a takedown. Surprisingly, it was actually dos Anjos who returned the favor, bringing the action to the canvas, but Covington quickly worked his legs inside and swept free. Still, dos Anjos stayed with the grappling and was able to hold a few advantageous positions. Covington willingly exposed his back, but dos Anjos stuck with the control rather than trying to hunt for the choke. Covington finally pulled free with two minutes left, and they reset in the center.

It was Covington who landed a clean left as they began again. Another dos Anjos takedown attempt followed, but Covington defended well, landing another clean left hand as they broke apart briefly. Covington continued to move forward, trading punches with his opponent and then taking the action to the canvas in the final seconds, finishing the round on top.

Covington started the final round by again running forward and then quickly sliding inside and slipping around to his opponent’ back on the feet. Covington landed a nice elbow as dos Anjos turned inside, and after a wild leaping knee from his opponent again got a quick takedown.

Dos Anjos refused to stay on the ground, but he also wasn’t getting any room to work at all. Covington moved inside immediately again, briefly holding the back but then continuing to press the action to the cage. A quick Covington flurry landed inside, but Covington didn’t want to stay at punching range, driving inside on the legs. Dos Anjos pulled free with two minutes left, and he landed a clean left hand a few seconds later that certainly hurt his opponent. But Covington turned around and again pushed inside, forcing even more wrestling defense from dos Anjos.

A dos Anjos kimura attempt briefly looked solid in the final minute, but Covington pulled free and moved back to the feet. They traded punches in the pocket briefly before Covington returned to the inside, shaking off an attempt to control his neck. At the bell, Covington celebrated, while dos Anjos looked a little frustrated, and the judges were tasked with calling a winner. They leaned toward Covington, 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47, earning him the interim title and setting up a future unification bout with current champ Tyron Woodley.

“This moment is exactly what I dreamed of,” Covington said after the win. “This is what I’ve been saying all week, to all the media, to all the fans. This is my moment, and nobody can say anything about it.

“I’m the new money fight in UFC. Tell Tyron Woodley that his time is up. This is the real belt. He was supposed to be the one fighting me tonight, and he wouldn’t show up. I’m the welterweight champion. I’m the new king here.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC 225 results include:

Colby Covington def. Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) – to win interim welterweight title Holly Holm def. Megan Anderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

For complete coverage of UFC 225, check out the UFC Events section of the site.