UFC 268 Betting Preview: Covington v. Usman Picks & Predictions

The rematch is finally upon us UFC fans, with the return of welterweight champion Kamaru Usman taking on Colby Covington. One can only hope that it will be as explosive as it was last time, with signs definitely pointing to another long fight.

This main card attraction caps off a tremendous night for the UFC, with tons of exciting matchups along the way. Below you will see how this plays out and hopefully for your pocket.

Date: November 6, 2021

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Main Card on PPV at 10:00 PM

Main Event Showdown

Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman (19-1-0)

Usman is looking to continue his 18 fight winning streak that he has developed since 2013. During that stretch, he has defeated top names in the division that were challenging opponents, but none could take over as the champ.

His fighting resume shows that he has nine wins by knockout, one by submission, and nine by decision. What makes him so great is his ability to defend on top of executing battles.

He strikes with an accuracy of 54 percent and has a grappling accuracy of 48 percent. He is able to put up 4.63 significant strikes each minute while taking on only 2.40, which makes a great return on strikes delivered.

Usman has yet to have been taken to the ground, with a takedown defense at 100 percent, and he has a significant strike defense at 57 percent. He also manages to add 3.27 takedowns of his own and sometimes 0.10 submissions every 15 minutes of action.

Colby “Chaos” Covington (16-2-0)

Covington is looking to try another shot at the title after he went five rounds against Usman, only to lose by TKO as the round was coming to a close. After that, he quickly rebounded in his matchup with Tyron Woodley and won that fight by TKO.

Looking at his fighting resume, it shows four wins by knockout, four by submission, and eight by decision. This is fairly balanced, and it could potentially help him out in this fight if he can find a way to land any victory.

He has a striking accuracy at 38 percent and a grappling accuracy at 50 percent. He lands 4.12 significant strikes each minute but only absorbs 2.86, showing another quality set of numbers here.

Covington has a respectable takedown defense at 75 percent and defends decently with a significant strike defense at 55 percent. He also put up 4.61 takedowns and 0.10 submissions every 15 minutes of fight time.

Main Event Breakdown

This battle is shaping up to be an all-out war once again, as the two of them love to strike. In their last matchup, Usman won the striking war by landing 175 significant strikes to Covington’s 143.

Usman was also able to knock down Covington twice, which could be another turning point in the fight if he is able to dominate by striking. Look for another excellent showing between these two, with Usman casted as the favorite.

For more on UFC 268, check out our preview of Rose Namajunas vs Weili Zhang