UFC 268 Post Fight Analysis

UFC 268 definitely impressed fans with the amount of quality battles stuffed in the main card. The prelims also shared their display for attention, but it was hard to ignore the main attraction battles.

The main event between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington was what fans wanted, along with the other rematch between Rose Namajunas and Weili Zhang. In addition, Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler received Fight of the Night honors as their explosive striking matchup lit up Madison Square Garden.

Main Event Recap

The rematch between Usman and Covington was proof that Usman is still ridiculously hard to defeat. He won the striking battle, leading the way with significant strikes 123 to 107.

Usman started off hot and took over both the first and second rounds. Covington appeared laid back, as compared to his aggressive behavior in the first one.

However, Covington came back strong in the last three rounds but only to claim the fourth one definitively. This was obviously enough for Usman to secure another victory and a unanimous decision against Covington.

As for Covington, this was probably his last attempt at a title. This is also assuming that Usman stays where he is at because they will need to find other opponents for him to explore as the matches have not been that close.

The battles with Covington have arguably been the toughest for Usman, even though he still came away victorious. For Covington, you could argue that he looks to fight against someone like Masvidal or remain close to the top of the welterweight division.

Co-Main Recap

Rose Namajunas was unable to land the attractive kick to the chin of Weili Zhang for a second straight fight, but that did not stop her from winning once again. In this battle, you could not ask for a closer fight than what they provided to fans.

Namajunas was able to defend her belt for a second straight time against Zhang, even though this battle turned into a split decision. Zhang looked impressive early on as she put her wrestling on display within the first three rounds.

The significant strikes between the two were very close, as Namajunas barely led here with 86 to 83. Zhang also threw in five takedowns, as opposed to Namajunas’ two.

You could argue that Zhang spent too much energy here with the amount of aggressive takedowns in the first few rounds. This seemed like a good idea at the time, but this allowed Namajunas to control the fight in the last two rounds.

The next fight for Namajunas could arguably be against Carla Esparza, who happens to have a win against the current champ. This could also be the last time Zhang and Namajunas fight, especially since having two straight battles so close to each other.

Fight of the Night Honors

For those that missed it, you need to check out the fight between Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler. This battle was an insane three rounds of explosive strikes back and forth.

In three rounds alone, the significant strike count was 116 to 103 in favor of Gaethje, who won by unanimous decision. The only complaint from fans is that they wished there were five rounds so they could continue watching these two land bombs on one another.