UFC 268: Usman vs Covington, Namajunas vs Weili, Gaethje vs Chandler previewed

As the UFC prepares for its first card at Madison Square Garden since UFC 244, Sky Sports previews the main card bouts for UFC 268.

Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington - UFC welterweight championship

There is certainly no love lost between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, with the pair having previously fought at UFC 245 for the welterweight championship. Usman emerged victorious in a fifth-round technical knockout that left Covington with a fractured jaw.

They have since engaged in a war of words - Usman famously proclaimed to have "broken" Covington's face during a virtual face-off, though the former interim welterweight champion has fiercely disputed his loss.

The Nigerian Nightmare comes into the bout after successful title defences against Jorge Masvidal and former team-mate Gilbert Burns, demonstrating his improved striking under trainer Trevor Wittman with an emphatic knockout against Gamebred at UFC 261.

After his loss to Usman, Covington fought Tyron Woodley in 2020 and largely outclassed the former welterweight champion before the fight was stopped in the fifth round due to a rib injury sustained by Woodley.

While their first meeting was a pure striking match - zero takedowns were attempted throughout, despite the duo's wrestling backgrounds - it will be interesting to see how Covington approaches this contest, given the champion's growing confidence in his stand-up game.

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Rose Namajunas vs Zhang Weili - UFC women's strawweight championship

"Thug" Rose won the UFC women's strawweight championship for the second time with a first-round knockout of Zhang Weili at UFC 261, though her opponent immediately protested about the stoppage to referee Keith Peterson. The fighters agreed to a rematch and will meet almost seven months after their first bout.

Much of the build-up to their first meeting was dominated by Namajunas's framing of the contest as a fight between communism and freedom. Namajunas later clarified that she did not intend to personally attack Weili, though Zhang said that she had ignored the comments.

Prior to her loss at UFC 261, Weili was undefeated in the UFC and her title defence against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2020 was recognised as the Fight of the Year by several publications, including Bleacher Report and MMA Fighting.

Namajunas will look to cement her position atop the women's strawweight division by defending her title at UFC 268, and the fixture will surely entertain fight fans as Weili bids to reclaim the championship gold.

Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler - lightweight division

Like their welterweight counterparts in UFC 268's main event, lightweights Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler both possess wrestling backgrounds. However, neither tend to utilise their wrestling acumen during their fights, instead preferring to strike with their opponents.

As such, this should be a thrilling fight from start to finish. Gaethje is renowned for his powerful punches and devastating leg kicks, demonstrating this in an earlier outing against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, where he won the interim lightweight championship. Despite then going on to lose to the imperious undisputed champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254, Gaethje remains a dangerous name in the UFC's stacked lightweight division.

Chandler, a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, entered the UFC's octagon for the first time in January this year, where he finished Dan Hooker in the first round, employing a high-pressure, high-intensity approach. Following the victory, he faced Charles Oliveira for the lightweight championship at UFC 262, losing by technical knockout in the second round.

Chandler typically looks to start quickly, and this is reflected in the fact that he has not gone beyond the second round in his last five fights. Gaethje can match this intensity, having amassed three first-round stoppage victories in his last five bouts. A rapid opening round and a stoppage at some point look to be likely outcomes for this meeting.

Shane Burgos vs Billy Quarantillo - featherweight division

After successive losses to Edson Barboza and Josh Emmett, though both received Fight of the Night honours from the UFC, Shane Burgos will look to get back to winning ways as he faces off against Dana White's Contender Series alumni, Billy Quarantillo.

Quarantillo will aim to become a ranked fighter within the UFC's featherweight rankings, which could be secured with a win over the division's current No 14.

Additionally, in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio, Quarantillo said: "As long as things go how I think they're going to go on Saturday, I think I'm going to be a household name by Monday."

After losing to Gavin Tucker in December 2020, Quarantillo comes into Madison Square Garden after a victory over Gabriel Benitez in July, earning a third-round stoppage and, similarly to Burgos' previous outings, Fight of the Night honours.

Both fighters have earned victories in the UFC by way of stoppage, submission, or decision, and as such, their bout at UFC 268 will prove to be an interesting look at the potential future of the featherweight division.

Frankie Edgar vs Marlon Vera - bantamweight division

The former lightweight champion and veteran Frankie Edgar comes into UFC 268 after having suffered a brutal flying knee knockout against Cory Sandhagen earlier this year. Edgar has gone through an inconsistent period of form since 2018, with four losses and two wins, though those losses have come against top performers, including Max Holloway, Brian Ortega and Chang Sung Jung.

The Ecuadorian Vera comes into the event having beaten Davey Grant by unanimous decision in June and received honours for a Fight of the Night showing. Chito has two wins and two losses in his last four, losing out to Jose Aldo in December 2020, but is also the only fighter to have beaten fan favourite "Suga" Sean O'Malley.

Though he is listed as a grappler, Vera is a well-rounded fighter, with six knockouts and eight submission victories on his record, along with three decisions. Contrastingly, 13 of Edgar's 24 wins have come by way of decision and he has not earned a stoppage victory since 2017.