Zane Simon & Eddie Mercado are here to breakdown this Saturday’s, November 6th, ‘UFC 268: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2’ & ‘Rose Namajunas vs Zhang Weili 2’ PPV event. The guys will have hot takes, possible next fights, as well as reactions to the overall event.
Bloody Elbow fight experts, Zane Simon & Eddie Mercado, are here tonight – Saturday, November 6th., 2021, to breakdown the UFC 268: ‘Usman vs. Covington 2 & Namajunas vs Zhang 2’ PPV (pay-per-view) event, which was broadcast from Madison Square Garden, NY, NY.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22811103/Host_Mock_Up___6th_Rd.png)
June M. Williams
The guys will have hot takes, possible next fights, as well as reactions to the overall event in the player above, or can be caught on our Bloody Elbow Presents YouTube Channel or any of our BE Presents Podcast Network. (SPOILERS…)
Taking Usman. Covington’s volume can keep this razor close all the way through, but I don’t see a plain advantage for him anywhere. Usman even lands more strikes per minute on average. #UFC268
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 7, 2021
The UFC showcased the rematch for the UFC Welterweight Championship in the main event. We had reigning, dominant champ, Kamaru ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Usman, who was currently on a phenomenal 20-fight win streak (the longest active streak in the division), sporting an outstanding 19-1 fight record, defending his title in this rematch against returning contender, former Interim UFC Welterweight champion, Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington, with a 16-2 record. Colby had consequently not stepped inside the Octagon since September 19th, of last year, but was still coming at this ranked #1 in their division. Usman was determined to prove he is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world tonight, while Covington looked to secure an upset.
No idea who won that honestly. I gave most of the close rounds to Usman but that’s no guarantee. #UFC268
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 7, 2021
Yet another bout tonight went to the judges scorecards, there would be no stunning finish here, although it came close from time-to-time. When all was said and done, Usman walked away the Undisputed UFC Welterweight Champion, top ranked Pound-for-Pound fighter and likely the best Welterweight in recent history. It was a calculated fight, that was closely matched and went back-and-forth throughout all five rounds. Some fans will likely debate this decision, as either side feels so strongly for their fighter in this rivalry. The combatants did grant each other respect in the end, which was quite a surprise given the trash talk leading up to this event. Usman moves on to 15-0 in the Octagon, defending his title five times now, the third time this year alone. One more victory and he matches Anderson Silva for most consecutive victories in UFC history.
“I know there’s a lot of trash talk and there’s a lot of bad blood here, and there’s probably still gonna be some after tonight, but this guy is tough as shit.” – Kamaru Usman on Colby Covington #UFC268
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 7, 2021
Meanwhile, the co-main event featured our second title fight rematch battle tonight for the UFC Strawweight Championship, showcasing current champ, the fan favorite, ‘Thug Rose’ Namajunas, with a record of 11-4. She was determined to triumph once again over the #1 ranked contender, Weili ‘Magnum’ Zhang, of Beijing, with a storied 21-2 record. Zhang is the first Chinese champion in UFC history and was fully prepared to defeat ‘Thug Rose’ this time out.
Namajunas and Zhang took it to the judges scorecard for a thrilling split decision win. In the end, Rose was able to successfully defend the title, in a close back-and-forth struggle with Weili tonight.
No problem with Rose getting the nod there, first rounds were very close. But surprised a judge found 4 rounds for her. #UFC268
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 7, 2021
UFC couldn’t be less interested in the rest of this Weili Zhang post-fight interview. #UFC268
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 7, 2021
Prior to the title fights, we were graced with a promising showdown including Bantamweights, former UFC Lightweight champion, #8 ranked Bantamweight contender, Frankie ‘The Answer’ Edgar, with an incredible 23-9 fight record vs. the #13 ranked Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, with an impressive 17-7 record.
“Inside the cage, it’s my family or yours. And my family is more important to me.” – Chito Vera on getting chippy with Edgar after round 2. #UFC268
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 7, 2021
Not to be forgotten, was an exciting matchup between Featherweights, Shane ‘Hurricane’ Burgos, and Billy Quarantillo. Which was a banger, setting a new record for the most significant strikes landed in a three-round Featherweight fight. But it was hard to get maximum output from the crowd, when following up the insanity that was ‘Gaethje-Chandler’…
I love these sneaky trips that Burgos & Quarantillo are exchanging #UFC268
— Eddie Mercado (@TheEddieMercado) November 7, 2021
“He is tough as shit, because I landed hard.” – Shane Burgos on Billy Quarantillo #UFC268
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 7, 2021
We had a highly-anticipated Lightweight match between Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje and first-year UFC phenom, the former three-time Bellator Lightweight champion, Michael Chandler, in what was now our main card opener. This fight had fight of the night, or maybe even fight of the year written all over it. Words like ‘war’, ‘battle’, ‘dogfight’, ‘all out campaign’, & ‘action-packed’ – all come to mind when witnessing this incredible display of violent MMA prowess. If you missed the event, and can only catch one fight, this is the one to invest your time in. Gaethje, now 23-3, has won five out his last six, with his only loss having been to Khabib. This was his first decision win since World Series of Fighting back in 2014. He now has racked up nine performance bonuses in eight UFC fights, and tonight’s bonus makes it an even ten.
“No, fuck no. I knew exactly what that motherfucker was.” – Justin Gaethje on if anything about Chandler surprised him. Says they born out of time and should be fighting in the Colosseum. #UFC268
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 7, 2021
Our featured prelim bout was a clash between Middleweights Andreas Michailidis and kickboxing sensation, Alex Pereira, who made a spectacular UFC promotional debut with his powerful, devastating switch knee that blasted Michailidis at the start of the second round. This was just one of our extensive nine-bout undercard bouts… which were well worth discussing on the show tonight. The guys will go over the entire card, so be sure to check out the show.
L.O. FING. L #UFC268 https://t.co/rUnt16wukH
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 7, 2021
This week the guys’ picks heading into the 14-bout UFC 268 PPV event were:
MAIN CARD —
Both: Usman
Zane: Zhang, Eddie: Namajunas
Both: Edgar
Both: Burgos
Both: Gaethje
PRELIMS —
Both: Pereira
Zane: Green, Eddie: Iaquinta
Zane: Curtis, Eddie: Hawes
Both: Shahbazyan
Both: Garry
EARLY PRELIMS —
Zane: Barnett, Eddie: Villante
Both: Jacoby
Both: Baghdasaryan
Both: Osbourne
Overall, this now 14-bout card saw two exhilarating first round finishes, seven impressive KO/TKO’s, no submissions, and seven hard-fought decisions, one split. Rounding things out, bonuses for putting forth POTN efforts went to Marlon Vera, Chris Barnett, Alex Pereira, and Bobby Green; FOTN honors went to Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler. What a wild Saturday of fights we have to share with you, join us to discuss all the action!
Here’s a look at the UFC 268: ‘KAMARU USMAN VS COLBY COVINGTON 2 & ROSE NAMAJUNAS VS WEILI ZHANG 2’ updated fight records & results —
ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD | SAT. NOV 6
At 2:06 — 14. UFC WW Champion Kamaru Usman (20-1) DEF. Colby Covington 2 (16-3) — DEC, Unanimous (49-46, 48-47×2)
At 10:59 — 13. UFC SW Champion Rose Namajunas (11-4) DEF. Weili Zhang 2 (21-3) — DEC, SPLIT (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
At 18:56 — 12. Marlon Vera (20-7) DEF. Frankie Edgar (24-10) — KO/TKO, Front Kick at 3:50 of Rd 3, Total 13:50
At 24:59 — 11. Shane Burgos (14-3) DEF. Billy Quarantillo (16-4) — DEC, Unanimous (29-28×3)
At 29:36 — 10. Justin Gaethje (23-3) DEF. Michael Chandler (22-7) — DEC, Unanimous (29-28×2, 30-27)
ESPN+/ESPNEWS PRELIMS
At 36:24 — 9. Alex Pereira (4-1) DEF. Andreas Michailidis (13-5) — KO/TKO, Flying Knee/Punches at 0:18 of Rd 2, Total 5:18
At 42:01 — 8. Bobby Green (28-12) DEF. Al Iaquinta (14-7) — KO/TKO, Jab-Cross/Ground Strikes at 2:25 of Rd 1
At 46:37 — 7. Chris Curtis (27-8) DEF. Phil Hawes (11-3) — KO/TKO, Counter Left at 4:27 of Rd 1
At 53:14 — 6. Nassourdine Imavov (11-3) DEF. Edmen Shahbazyan (11-3) — KO/TKO, Elbows from Crucifix at 4:42 of Rd 2, Total 9:42
At 58:01 — 5. Ian Garry (8-0) DEF. Jordan Williams (9-6) — KO/TKO, Counter Right at 4:59 of Rd 1
How long before Ian Garry has a McGregor chest piece?#UFC268
— Eddie Mercado (@TheEddieMercado) November 6, 2021
ESPN+/UFC FIGHT PASS EARLY PRELIMS
At 1:01:00 — 4. Chris Barnett (22-7) DEF. Gian Villante (17-14) — KO/TKO, Spinning Wheel Kick/G&P at 2:23 of Rd 2, Total 7:23
At 1:03:32 — 3. Dustin Jacoby (16-5) DEF. John Allan (13-7) — DEC, Unanimous (29-28×2, 30-27)
At 1:04:36 — 2. Melsik Baghdasaryan (7-1) DEF. Bruno Souza (10-2) — DEC, Unanimous (29-28×3)
At 1:05:20 — 1. Ode Osbourne (10-4) DEF. C.J. Vergara (9-3) — DEC, Unanimous (28-29×3)
Be sure to follow Zane – @TheZaneSimon & Eddie – @TheEddieMercado; and follow @BloodyElbow on twitter as well, for all the latest in MMA happenings.
If you enjoy our show, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, or give us a “like”, share & subscribe over on whichever ‘BE Presents’ Podcast Channel happens to be your listening platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes & Apple TV, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, or Player FM, & Amazon Music! – While you’re there, don’t forget to subscribe to Bloody Elbow Presents; that way you’ll always be the first to get all of BE’s daily MMA offerings. For previous episodes of the show, check out our playlists on all of our BE Presents channels.
Join us again for another episode of ‘6th Round’ on Saturday, November 13th, for UFC VEGAS 42: ‘Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez’…
CANELO-PLANT COVERAGE (SPOILERS)…
BELLATOR 270 COVERAGE (SPOILERS)…