UFC 268, set for the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York on the morning of Sunday 7 November 2021, will feature a double bill of title rematches, as Kamaru Usman faces Colby Covington and Rose Namajunas takes on Weili Zhang.
Namajunas (10-4) defeated Zhang (21-2) via a first-round knockout to claim the women’s strawweight championship at UFC 261 back in April of this year.
Chinese star Zhang, who has teamed up with former flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo in preparation for this clash, has steeled herself for a more aggressive approach in this co-main event and believes the pressure of holding the belt will affect Namajunas.
The main event sees Usman (16-1) come up against Covington (16-2) for the welterweight title. The Nigerian-American defeated ‘Chaos’ via TKO in the fifth round of their epic championship bout in December 2019, and has since successfully defended the belt a further three times, defeating Jorge Masvidal (twice) and Gilbert Burns.
Usman, in the build up to the fight, has revealed his respect for Covington’s abilities in the Octagon – even if the latter is renowned, and even reviled, for being one of MMA’s true ‘heels’.
“I’m no hater. I give props where props are due,” said Usman. “I think Colby probably is, I would put him in the top-15 welterweights of all time, as far as fighter-wise and skill-wise, the way that he fights. You may not like him personally, which I really don’t, but as far as skill-wise, he’s a very good fighter. A very, very good fighter.”
The main card opens with a bantamweight bout between Frankie Edgar and Marlon Vera, followed by Shane Burgos v Billy Quarantillo in a featherweight thriller, and then Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler will both be looking to put themselves back in the lightweight title picture with victory.
