Matches to Make After UFC 268

Kamaru Usman has no equal at 170 pounds, but nobody comes closer to providing him with one than Colby Covington.

Usman retained his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title and improved to 2-0 in his head-to-head series with the MMA Masters export, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision in their five-round UFC 268 main event on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Scores were 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46, all for “The Nigerian Nightmare,” his prodigious skills having impressed not only the judges but the 20,715 fans in attendance.

It was not easy terrain to traverse for the resident pound-for-pound king. Usman built his lead on the scorecards behind a steady jab, power punching combinations and airtight takedown defense. He floored Covington twice in the second round, where devastating left hooks, mere seconds apart, threatened to flip the switch before the two men were at full throttle. Usman, however, could not nail the coffin shot. Covington burrowed into the battle with persistence and resolve, as he kept “The Ultimate Fighter 21” winner off-balance with effective punching bursts and an unwavering competitive spirit. He staggered Usman with uppercuts on several occasions, waded through considerable peril and forced one of the sport’s most dominant champions to earn every inch of ground he gained.

In the aftermath of UFC 268 “Usman vs. Covington 2,” here are five matches that ought to be made:

Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards: Not many hurdles remain for Usman in a weight class he has ruled since March 2, 2019. The 34-year-old Trevor Wittman protégé turned away Covington for a second time—he had disposed of the Clovis, California, native with fifth-round punches at UFC 245 a little less than two years ago—but needed all 25 minutes to do so in the rematch. Usman outlanded the challenger to varying degrees in the first, second, third and fifth rounds and reached the finish line with 123-107 and 158-119 advantages in the significant strikes landed and total strikes landed departments. He now owns a perfect 15-0 record in the UFC. Edwards meets Jorge Masvidal in a UFC 269 grudge match on Dec. 11 and would serve as the logical No. 1 contender should he emerge victorious over “Gamebred.” He has not lost since dropping a three-round decision to Usman in 2015.

Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza: Namajunas strengthened her hold on the women’s strawweight throne in the five-round co-headliner, where she escaped with a split decision over Weili Zhang in their hotly anticipated rematch. Judges Eric Colon and Douglas Crosby struck 49-46 and 48-47 scorecards for “Thug Rose,” while Michael Bell saw it 48-47 for Zhang. It had a nip-tuck feel on a variety of fronts. Namajunas outpaced the Fight Ready standout 86-83 in terms of significant strikes but made real headway in the grappling exchanges, where she turned two completed takedowns into more than seven minutes of control time. Esparza last appeared at UFC Fight Night 188, where she extended her current winning streak to five fights with a second-round technical knockout of Xiaonan Yan on May 22. Perhaps more importantly, the Team Oyama mainstay owns a December 2014 submission victory over Namajunas.

Justin Gaethje vs. Charles Oliveira-Dustin Poirier loser: It was the epic battle for which every red-blooded mixed martial arts fan had hoped, and Gaethje emerged from it with his hand raised. Thudding punches to the head and body, punishing kicks to the lower leg and a sturdy chin carried the former World Series of Fighting champion to a unanimous decision over Michael Chandler in a three-round lightweight showcase that seemed predestined for “Fight of the Year” consideration. All three cageside judges scored it for Gaethje: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27. The two gladiators combined to land 219 significant strikes against one another across 15 unforgettable minutes of hand-to-hand combat. While Gaethje jockeyed for a title shot afterward, and rightfully so, he could find himself stuck behind the surging Islam Makhachev in the current queue of lightweight contenders. Oliveira will put his 155-pound title on the line against Poirier—a man who has already beaten Gaethje—under the UFC 269 marquee on Dec. 11.

Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz-Pedro Munhoz winner: Vera secured the most significant win of his 26-fight career when he knocked out Frankie Edgar in the third round of their bantamweight feature. After controlling the first half of the encounter with pace, footwork and accurate combination punching, Edgar bowed out 3:50 into Round 3. Vera found another gear late in the second round and into the third, where he applied maximum pressure, bottled up “The Answer” in close quarters and ultimately split his defenses with a perfectly timed front kick to the face. The impact snapped back Edgar’s head and dropped him to the canvas face first. Vera has somewhat quietly rattled off eight victories, seven of them finishes, across his past 10 appearances. Cruz and Munhoz will lock horns at UFC 269 in December.

Shane Burgos vs. Zubaira Tukhugov: Efficient volume punching, crushing leg kicks and a seemingly endless reservoir of cardio spurred Burgos to a unanimous decision over Billy Quarantillo in a wildly entertaining featherweight attraction. The Team Tiger Schulmann representative swept the scorecards with 29-28 marks across the board. Quarantillo never shied away from contact and enjoyed extended stretches of success before his base became compromised by the steady stream of low kicks being fired in his direction. Burgos took over as the bout unfolded, outlanding the former King of the Cage champion by substantial margins in the second and third rounds. By the time it was over, he had connected on 67% (193-for-288) of his significant strikes. Tukhugov last competed at UFC 267, where he was awarded a unanimous verdict over Ricardo Ramos on Oct. 30.