It would appear that Nate Diaz would like to fight out his UFC contract with a bang.
It was recently reported that the younger Diaz brother was on the last fight of his UFC contract, after his loss to Leon Edwards. It also seems questionable if the…
It would appear that Nate Diaz would like to fight out his UFC contract with a bang.
It was recently reported that the younger Diaz brother was on the last fight of his UFC contract, after his loss to Leon Edwards. It also seems questionable if the UFC is actively interested in trying to re-sign him, with Dana White stating that he was unsure if he was up to par with the best fighters in the world anymore, instead trying to schedule him to face rising, hot prospect and potentially nightmare matchup, Khamzat Chimaev.
However, it would appear that Diaz has his own opinion on the matter and who he would like to face in his next fight. He posted a photo to his Instagram Stories, later reposted to Twitter, where he placed a target over the heads of welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and challenger Colby Covington, seemingly signifying that he would like to face the winner of this fight, which takes place in the main event of UFC 268 tonight.
To put it plainly, it is difficult to believe that Nate Diaz will be fighting for a title in his next fight. Barring some sort of unforeseen, late-notice replacement situation, it seems unlikely that the UFC would schedule him for a title fight on the back of losing three of his last four fights, on top of the fact that the welterweight division is starting to get backed up at the top with viable contenders.
On the other hand, this may not be what he means by his post at all, with the intention being that he simply would like to stay in the UFC, and feels like he can still hang with the best in the world, regardless of what Dana White says. Unfortunately, Diaz has a tendency to speak without using any words, which leaves things open to interpretation.
What do you think Nate Diaz meant by this cryptic message?
UFC 268 goes down tonight (Sat. November 6, 2021) from New York City, New York at the Madison Square Garden and we have the results. The world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion compiled an excellent card for fight fans to enjoy.
It…
UFC 268 goes down tonight (Sat. November 6, 2021) from New York City, New York at the Madison Square Garden and we have the results. The world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion compiled an excellent card for fight fans to enjoy.
It’s headlined by a meeting between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington in a welterweight title bout. Their first fight took place at the UFC 245 pay-per-view event where Usman beat him by TKO.
The co-headliner will see a women’s strawweight title bout between Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili. Their first fight took place at the UFC 261 pay-per-view event from Jacksonville, Florida at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena where Rose got a TKO win after connecting with a head kick to win the title.
Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler in a lightweight fight, Shane Burgos vs. Billy Quarantillo in a featherweight bout, and Frankie Edgar vs. Marlon Vera in a lightweight bout finishes out the main card.
It’s certain to have a great night of fights. Check back later tonight for MMA News’ UFC 268 results below:
Lightweight bout: Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler
Bantamweight bout: Frankie Edgar vs. Marlon Vera
Featherweight bout: Shane Burgos vs. Billy Quarantillo
Women’s strawweight title bout: Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili
Welterweight title bout: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington
Quick UFC 268 Results
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
Flyweight bout: Ode Osbourne vs. CJ Vergara
Featherweight bout: Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Bruno Souza
Light heavyweight bout: John Allan vs. Dustin Jacoby
Heavyweight bout: Chris Barnett vs. Gian Villante
Welterweight bout: Ian Garry vs. Jordan Williams
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
Middleweight bout: Nassourdine Imavov vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Middleweight bout: Chris Curtis vs. Phil Hawes
Lightweight bout: Bobby Green vs. Al Iaquinta
Middleweight bout: Andreas Michailidis vs. Alex Pereira
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Lightweight bout: Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler
Bantamweight bout: Frankie Edgar vs. Marlon Vera
Featherweight bout: Shane Burgos vs. Billy Quarantillo
Women’s strawweight title bout: Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili
Welterweight title bout: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington
Dana White says people need to pump the brakes a bit on talks of Khamzat Chimaev fighting for a title.
White has been singing the praises of the UFC’s hot new prospect since he first debuted in the promotion. Even after being gone for a year due to…
Dana White says people need to pump the brakes a bit on talks of Khamzat Chimaev fighting for a title.
White has been singing the praises of the UFC’s hot new prospect since he first debuted in the promotion. Even after being gone for a year due to health issues, the UFC President maintained that videos about Chimaev that were posted to the promotion’s social media were doing crazy numbers ahead of his return.
After Chimaev utterly dominated Li Jingliang at UFC 267 last month, people started to ask questions about just how fast he would get pushed to a title shot, with some even suggesting he could next be facing the winner of UFC 268’s main event title fight between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
However, White spoke with TSN to say that he is not sure that this is the right move for someone as green as Chimaev, saying he might need a couple more fights first.
“I don’t know if Chimaev is ready for that yet. (a title shot) Chimaev just broke into the top ten by fighting number eleven. It’s a whole ‘nother ball game when you get into the top ten, and you start fighting five and up. He’s one or two fights away from a championship,” White said.
There is certainly room for understanding when it comes to why some people feel like Khamzat Chimaev will be fighting for a title soon, regardless of what Dana White says. This is the product of what happens when you book someone against the number-two ranked contender in the world for their fourth fight in the promotion, even if that never materialized.
Nevertheless, White is probably right that another fight or two would be best for Chimaev, and he added in the interview that he was hopeful to get the Chechen back in the Octagon before the end of the year. The plan seems to be leaning towards Nate Diaz as the next fight for Chimaev, but time will tell what actually happens.
Check out the full interview with Dana White below:
The final UFC 268 betting odds are in for as this event is quickly approaching for the Las Vegas-based promotion.
The event is here, and it goes down tonight (Saturday, November 6, 2021) from New York City, New York at the Madison Square Gard…
The final UFC 268 betting odds are in for as this event is quickly approaching for the Las Vegas-based promotion.
The event is here, and it goes down tonight (Saturday, November 6, 2021) from New York City, New York at the Madison Square Garden.
Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington in a welterweight title bout will headline the show. In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili in a women’s strawweight title bout will take place.
Rounding out the main card is Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler in a lightweight fight, Shane Burgos vs. Billy Quarantillo in a featherweight bout, and Frankie Edgar vs. Marlon Vera in a lightweight bout.
According to oddsmakers, Usman is a -290 favorite over, who is a +245 underdog. Other odds for the main card include Rose being a -105 underdog against Zhang, who is a -115 favorite. Here are the full betting odds:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Kamaru Usman (-290) vs. Colby Covington (+245)
Zhang Weili (-115) vs. Rose Namajunas (-105)
Justin Gaethje (-220) vs. Michael Chandler (+180)
Shane Burgos (-185) vs. Billy Quarantillo (+160)
Marlon Vera (-175) vs. Frankie Edgar (+155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
Alex Pereira (-250) vs. Andreas Michailidis (+210)
Bobby Green (-175) vs. Al Iaquinta (+155)
Phil Hawes (-310) vs. Chris Curtis (+255)
Nassourdine Imavov (-117) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (-107)
We are standing at the doorstep of arguably the best card of 2021, UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington, which goes down live tomorrow night.
The only thing left for MMA fans to do is to count down the hours until tomorrow’s showcase event in Madison Squa…
We are standing at the doorstep of arguably the best card of 2021, UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington, which goes down live tomorrow night.
The only thing left for MMA fans to do is to count down the hours until tomorrow’s showcase event in Madison Square Garden. The official weigh-ins have taken place, three members of our talented staff have given their picks, and the ceremonial weigh-ins have just wrapped up.
You can find all the results and highlights right here on MMANews.com tomorrow as the action unfolds. Until then, here is a comprehensive preview of the full UFC 268 lineup.
Ode’ Osbourne vs. CJ Vergara
Odds: Osbourne (-185), Vergara (+150)
Two Contender Series alums will start off the pile of exciting UFC action on tap tomorrow night. Ode’ Osbourne has become accustomed to hearing nice things about his attributes after making it to the UFC, as he was considered one of the most exciting prospects at flyweight. At 1-2 in the promotion, he has yet to fully live up to that promise, but those losses came to some stiff competition: Brian Kelleher and Manel Kape.
His opponent, CJ Vergara, will be making his UFC debut after a round-1 TKO victory on this year’s season of Dana White’s Contender Series. He has already suffered his first setback prior to making his debut, however, as he missed weight earlier today and will thus forfeit 20% of his first UFC paycheck.
Check out the final faceoff between these two flyweights below.
Promising prospects set to kick of the show from MSG ?
Odds: Melsik Baghdasaryan (-325) vs Bruno Souza (+250)
Neither of these two men has suffered a loss since making their MMA debut. In Baghdasaryan’s case, he has stifled the ebbs and rode the flows to a 6-1 MMA record. Souza has done the same, tacking on four more wins than his next opponent, now with a 10-1 record. For Souza, this bout will serve as his UFC debut. Like CJ Vergara before him, Souza missed weight. He, too, will forfeit 20% of his purse as a result.
Here’s the faceoff between these two featherweights, which contained no smack-talking but plenty of gum-smacking.
Dustin Jacoby (15-5-1) has not suffered a defeat in his last six fights (five wins, one draw), while John Allan (13-6) is coming off a split-decision loss to Roman Dolidze. Jacoby will come into the bout as a healthy favorite to continue his unbeaten streak.
Check out the faceoffs between these two light heavyweights below!
Odds: Gian Villante (-130) vs Chris Barnett (+110)
Seven-year UFC veteran and native New Yorker Gian Villante (17-13) will likely be competing for his job as he looks to put an end to his three-fight skid. He has also lost four of his last five and six of his last eight and is 0-2 since returning to heavyweight last year. All things considered, there will likely be some urgency instilled in the 36-year-old heading into this bout.
His opponent, Chris Barnett (21-7), made his UFC debut in May, where he lost to Ben Rothwell via second-round guillotine choke.
Check out their final faceoff below!
Entertaining HWs ready to put on a show in the Garden ?
Undefeated Ian Garry (7-0) is considered one of the brightest prospects available in the welterweight division. At UFC 268, the 23-year-old Cage Warriors alum will make his anticipated UFC debut against Jordan Williams (9-5), who is placed as a considerable +300 underdog. Since debuting in the UFC after his Contender Series win, Williams has gone 0-2 in the promotion. One loss came by way of unanimous decision and the other was via first-round submission.
Five of Garry’s seven victories have been finishes. Some may consider this to be a handpicked fight for the hot prospect Garry, but Williams has much to fight for here. Losing three straight to kick off your UFC career is usually a promotional death sentence.
Peep the faceoffs between these two young welterweights below.
Top tier prospects close out tomorrow’s early prelims ?
Odds: Edmen Shahbazyan (+105) vs Nassourdine Imavov (-125)
Another fight filled with young blood, as Edmen Shahbazyan (23) locks up with Nassourdine Imavov (25) in a middleweight collision. It wasn’t long ago that Shahbazyan was creeping up the middleweight rankings and possibly closing in on a title shot with a couple more wins until that momentum was stunted by Derek Brunson in August of 2020. Shahbazyan would then lose again to Jack Hermansson via unanimous decision.
As Shahbazyan looks to demonstrate what he has learned since these two setbacks, he will face another rising prospect in Nassourdine Imavov. Imavov has won two of his last three fights, most recently defeating formerly ranked middleweight contender Ian Heinisch in July.
You can check out the final faceoff between these two competitors below.
After losing in his first Contender Series bout in 2017, it’s been nothing but dubs for Phil Hawes. Hawes would win three consecutive fights after that loss, thus earning himself a second opportunity on the show. This time, Hawes capitalized on the opportunity with a first-round KO that catapulted him into the big show. The winning has since continued, with Hawes now sitting at 3-0 in the UFC, which is enough to get him the respect off the oddsmakers to be placed as a -310 favorite.
Chris “The Action Man” Curtis will carry significantly more experience to him into his fight. He has a total of 34 professional fights to Hawes’s 13. Will experience be the difference or youth? This will be Curtis’ UFC debut, and he will enter the promotion riding a five-fight winning streak.
You can peep the final faceoff between these two welterweights below.
Both of these names should be very familiar to MMA fans, as they have a combined 29 fights and 17 years in the promotion. Both men have lost two consecutive fights coming into this bout, and some may be surprised to learn that Iaquinta, who once challenged for the lightweight title (albeit as a short-notice replacement) will enter the bout as the underdog.
This could be because Iaquinta is coming off of another lengthy layoff, having not competed since his 2019 loss to Dan Hooker. Meanwhile, Green has remained active, with four fights last year and a bout just two months ago at UFC 265 in a Fight of the Night contest against Rafael Fiziev.
Here’s the final faceoff between these two veterans.
Odds: Alex Pereira (-250) vs Andreas Michailidis (+200)
Although he is known in the MMA community for his two kickboxing victories over Israel Adesanya, the debuting Alex Pereira has made it clear that he is focused on becoming a champion, not on Adesanya. Granted, Adesanya is currently the middleweight champion, but regardless of who’s holding the title, Pereira has a one-fight-at-a-time mindset on his path to the top of the division.
Someone who knows what it’s like to capture UFC gold, 42-year-old Glover Teixeira, has sung the praises of his training partner, stating that no one he’s ever trained with hits as hard as Pereira. Pereira’s striking acument and overall MMA potential can be gauged by UFC fans for the first time at UFC 268 when he takes on Andreas Michailidis, who is 1-1 in the UFC. His career record at middleweight is a flawless 3-0. Here’s the final faceoff between these two competitors.
Justin Gaethje believes he’s paid a bit more dues to get to this position than Chandler has, who he believes earned a title shot that was disrespectful to the sport. And now, he expects a victory over Chandler will earn him the second UFC title shot of his career. Though Gaethje has his eyes on the lightweight prize, he still always aims to entertain the fans and can only think of one way that this fight won’t live up to its expectations tomorrow night.
Here is the final faceoff between these two.
A fight fan's dream fight sets the tone to open the main card ?
Odds: Shane Burgos (-200) vs Billy Quarantillo (+160)
Shane Burgos’ last two fights have both won Fight of the Night. Unfortunately for him, both fights ended in a loss, however. His last loss was one of the most memorable KO defeats in UFC history, when he suffered a delayed reaction to a right cross that landed from opponent Edson Barboza. Six months have now passed since this strange occurrence, and Burgos will step into the Octagon against a man in Billy Quarantillo who has won four of his last five fights, most recently over Gabriel Benitez in July via TKO.
Like Burgos, Quarantillo’s last fight also took home Fight of the Night honors, which means between both fighters, three of the last four bouts were Fight of the Nights. So is it possible that Gaethje vs. Chandler and Usman Covington might have some quiet competition here for that award tomorrow night? Here is the final faceoff between the two featherweights one night before we find out.
Now 40 years old, Edgar has lost three of his last four fights, with two of the three of them being via KO/TKO. Despite the bad optics of those numbers, Edgar has maintained that retirement is nowhere in his short-term plans and has no intention on walking away from the sport anytime soon.
Peep the final faceoff between these two bantamweights below.
The odds of this strawweight title fight are basically even, which could only mean that oddsmakers and bettors feel there are still many unanswered questions despite the swift and decisive outcome of their first bout in April. Last month, Zhang and former champ-champ Henry Cejudo both put Rose Namajunas on notice that the rematch will look a lot difference from the first fight.
For that to happen, Zhang will have to maintain mental focus throughout the fight and not let the potential boos from the audience get to her, which she admits was a factor in the first fight. Zhang has now taken the necessary steps to ensure a hostile crowd won’t have that same effect on her tomorrow night so that she can be victorious over an opponent she deems to be a “fake” individual.
Strawwight champion Rose Namajunas has already acknowledged that any friendship with Zhang is unlikely after she kicked Zhang in the face back in April. Once on record for having difficulties adjusting as champion during her first reign, Namajunas has explained why this time is different and why she has settled into wearing the strawweight crown and all the responsibilities that come with it. We’ll see tomorrow night if “Thug” Rose is granted even more time to continue enjoying life as the champ.
Here’s the final faceoff between the UFC 268 co-main eventers, with a cameo from one Halle Berry!
Set to put on a SHOW in the City that Never Sleeps ?
Odds: Kamaru Usman (-310) vs Colby Covington (+240)
One look at the odds will have many scratching their head considering how close the first fight between these two was before Usman got the TKO finish in the fifth round. That bout took home the 2019 MMA News Fight of the Year award, and two years later, they finally run it back.
Just as was the case leading into their first fight, much has been said between these two men. Among of the many topics covered is whether the first fight was contested fair and square. Covington claims Usman cheated in the first fight by faking fouls and that his jaw was not broken as it was believed to have been. Usman then provided a thorough retort to Covington’s “cheating” accusations. After a very volatile press conference between the two, including a faceoff where things turned physical, the next and potential final chapter of this rivaly goes down tomorrow.
Here is the final faceoff between tomorrow’s headliners:
During the UFC’s Hall of Fame ceremony, Dustin Poirier gave his prediction for a big lightweight bout.
Poirier showed up dressed to impress for the event. The lightweight contender fielded questions from the media including what he thinks will happ…
During the UFC’s Hall of Fame ceremony, Dustin Poirier gave his prediction for a big lightweight bout.
Poirier showed up dressed to impress for the event. The lightweight contender fielded questions from the media including what he thinks will happen when Justin Gaethje meets Michael Chandler at UFC 268.
The Louisianan is familiar with the human meat grinder that is Gaethje. They clashed in what many outlets dubbed “fight of the year” back in 2018. The bout was a hellacious back-and-forth that saw both athletes pushed to their limits and ended with Poirier’s hand raised. Poirier is excited about the upcoming fight and likes his old foe to get the victory in November.
“Man, it’s gonna be a fun fight,” Poirier told reporters. It might be talk. Chandler’s mindset, talking about caution to the wind, and who steps back first, and the tough guy stuff is—Justin’s a guy who you don’t have a choice. He’s bringing it. But I think Justin wins that fight.”
“The Diamond” will surely watch the matchup with a vested interest. He currently sits at the top of the heap in the UFC lightweight division and will go for gold again in December when he faces off with Charles Oliveira.
After a successful career in Bellator, Chandler stormed into the UFC with a first-round knockout of Dan Hooker. The win led to Chandler fighting for the UFC belt, where he fell to Charles Oliveira.
Gaethje has been missing from action since a failed title bid last October. The loss to then-champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, snapped a four-fight winning streak for “The Highlight.”
And while he hasn’t been in the Octagon in nearly a year, Gaethje has been active on social media. He recently took to Twitter to declare that he believes Poirier will beat Oliveira and he will beat Chandler. Then, Gaethje believes he’ll rematch Poirier in a replay of “the best fight that happened on Earth in 2018.”
Who do you think wins when Michael Chandler meets Justin Gaethje at UFC 268?
