After two years and two fights, the two top welterweights in the world finally found a way to make peace. For one night, anyway.

But what mattered most at the conclusion of UFC 268 from Madison Square Garden was that Kamaru Usman is now 2-0 against bitter rival Colby Covington after winning a unanimous decision, 48-47, 48-47, 49-46, that was closer than the scorecards would indicate.

“It’s a lot of trash talk. It’s a lot of bad blood here,” said Usman (20-1, 10 finishes) in the octagon after the decision was read, referring to the bitter war of words with Covington (16-3, eight finishes) dating back to 2019. “But he’s a tough son of a b—h”

Usman’s respect for the challenger, who the champ defeated via fifth-round TKO in December 2019 in a win that failed to bury the hatchet, came moments after he and Covington looked to offer mutual props to one another as they awaited the decision.

“When you share an octagon with someone this tough, you can’t help it that respect is gonna come,” Usman said.

The Houston Astros fended off elimination on Sunday night and denied the Atlanta Braves the chance to win the 2021 World Series at their home ballpark. The Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the World Series by a 9-5 final to force Game 6 and a return trip to Houston.

The Astros still trail in the best-of-seven series by a 3-2 margin, and Atlanta remains one win away from its first championship since 1995.

The Astros fell behind early on Sunday, with Atlanta center fielder Adam Duvall hitting the ninth first-inning grand slam in postseason history. Nevertheless, the Astros were able to rally and tie the game at 4-4 in the third inning. Freddie Freeman then put the Braves back up with a solo home run. The Astros weren’t done, though, as Houston received contributions from unlikely sources against Atlanta’s usually reliable bullpen.

Catcher Martin Maldonado drove in three runs on the night, and Marwin Gonzalez plated a pair with a pinch-hit single.

It wasn’t a screaming liner to the gap. It wasn’t sent over the fence for a home run. It wasn’t even an infield single beaten out by pure speed.

Astros pinch hitter Aledmys Diaz lofted a 98.2 mph fastball from Braves reliever Tyler Matzek. The ball traveled 232 feet. Yet, in the top of the eighth inning, that was all it took to break up the combined no-hitter Atlanta had been spinning against Houston in Game 3 of the World Series.

But that hit was one of only two on the night for the Astros as their bats were quieted by a stellar outing from starter Ian Anderson and a shutdown performance from the bullpen. An RBI double from Austin Riley in the third and a solo homer by Travis d’Arnaud in the eighth was all the run production Atlanta would need as it won 2-0 on Friday night to take a 2-1 series lead.