The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York tonight for UFC 268: “Usman vs Covington 2.” The card was headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship grudge rematch as Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman met Colby “Chaos” Covington.

In the co-main event, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion “Thug” Rose Namajunas faced former champ Weili “Magnum” Zhang, whom Namajunas quickly defeated for the title during the pair’s first fight at UFC 261 in April. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC 268 card tonight.

 

UFC Welterweight Championship

Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman vs Colby “Chaos” Covington

Round 1:
Covington kicked at Usman’s lead leg in the opening round and Usman ducked under two looping hooks. Covington attempted a takedown, but Usman reversed it on the way down and returned to his feet. Covington landed an overhand left and Usman answered with a straight right. As Usman stepped forward, Covington landed a short uppercut. Usman was able to take Covington down very briefly, but he could not hold him there and the fighters stood again. Covington landed two overhand lefts and Usman backed him up with a lead left hook that opened a cut on Covington’s right cheek. Close round. 10-9 Usman.

Round 2:
Usman blocked a head kick and knocked Covington off-balance with a left hook behind the ear. Covington landed a body kick and he lunged forward with an uppercut soon after. Usman ducked under it and shrugged off a clinch. He landed a kick-punch combo and blocked a head kick from Covington, who dropped levels and tried for a double-leg takedown. Usman defended well and he scored with leg and body kicks after the fighters separated. Usman backed Covington up with a combination and he floored him twice with lead left hooks. Covington latched on to Usman’s ankle and Usman threw punches to his body until the bell. 10-8 Usman due to the late knockdowns.

Round 3:
Covington landed his best combination of the fight early in round three, but Usman remained the aggressor and he used his jab to set up a right cross. Covington tried for a takedown and Usman sprawled, then landed rapid-fire hammerfists to the side of Covington’s head. Back on the feet, Covington jabbed and Usman landed a body kick. He ducked his head and fired off a right hook to Covington’s jaw. Late in the round, Covington landed a three-punch flurry and he took Usman’s back. He got him down to a knee and landed a knee to Usman’s upper body as the fighters stood up. 10-9 Covington.

Round 4:
The fourth round also began well for Covington, who landed a three-punch combo early on. Usman jabbed and he landed a body kick, but Covington scored with right-left combos and he got the better of the punching exchange until Usman landed a hard right hook. After landing two jabs, Usman backed Covington up with a lead left hook. As Usman closed the distance, Covington stunned him with a counter combination and a body kick. In the final 45 seconds, Covington dropped levels for a takedown and Usman defended. He broke free from the clinch with a short elbow and Covington landed a hard right hand at the bell. 10-9 Covington.

Round 5:
Covington struck first with a combination in the final round, but Usman cracked him with a counter left hook during a subsequent exchange. Just when it looked like momentum was shifting back in Usman’s favour, Covington hurt him twice with right hooks. He tried unsuccessfully to take Usman down and the fighters resumed trading punches on the feet. Usman slipped on the centre logo on the canvas during an exchange and Covington backed him up in a clinch against the cage. They separated with just over a minute remaining and Usman landed two right hands. Time was called when Covington was poked in his eye. Covington was able to continue after a moment and Covington blocked a head kick. Usman landed one right hand before the end of the fight. Razor-thin final round. 10-9 Usman, barely.

Winner: Kamaru Usman by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) after five rounds. He improves to 20-1-0 and remains the UFC Welterweight Champion.

 

UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship

“Thug” Rose Namajunas vs Weili “Magnum” Zhang

Round 1:
Zhang struck first with leg kicks and Namajunas used a leg kick of her own to set up a quick combination. Another flurry of punches landed for Namajunas and Zhang answered with a leg kick. She took Namajunas down and tried unsuccessfully to pass her guard. Zhang postured up and landed one right hand before returning to Namajunas’s guard. Namajunas exploded up to her feet and Zhang followed up on a one-two with a leg kick and a head kick. Zhang slipped on the mat late in the round and Namajunas landed a left hand at the bell. Close opening round. 10-9 Zhang by a slim margin.

Round 2:
Namajunas finished a punching combination with a leg kick in round two. Zhang connected with a hard right-left combo, but Namajunas was unfazed and she landed a right hook in return. Zhang continued to target Namajunas’s lead leg with kicks and she backed her up with a counter left hook. Namajunas attempted a head kick, but Zhang caught it and dumped her to the mat. She landed a right hand to Namajunas’s face and Namajunas scrambled up to her feet. She got Zhang down in the final 30 seconds and finished the round on top. 10-9 Zhang despite the late takedown.

Round 3:
The third round began with Zhang landing another solid leg kick. Soon after, she landed a body kick and then missed with a spinning backfist attempt. A leg kick, body kick combo scored for Zhang and Namajunas missed with a counter right. Both women landed left hooks and Zhang fell down, but she quickly rose to her feet and secured a clinch against the cage. After the fighters separated, Zhang landed a leg kick and a lead left hook. She took Namajunas down into back control and then mounted Namajunas. The round ended with Zhang landing two elbows from the top. 10-9 Zhang.

Round 4:
Zhang landed a leg kick to begin the fourth round, but Namajunas responded with a hard right hand and she quickly returned to her feet after Zhang secured a brief takedown. Zhang took Namajunas’s back and pulled her down to the mat. She sunk in both hooks, but Namajunas was able to turn to her left and wound up on top in Zhang’s guard. A scramble ensued and Namajunas retained top position. She stood up and dropped back down with a right hand to Zhang’s face. She stayed on top and landed hammerfists until the end of the round. 10-9 Namajunas.

Round 5:
Zhang landed kicks to both of Namajunas’s legs early in round five and Namajunas switched her stance to try to combat them. She took Zhang down and got to half-guard, which allowed her to land three punches to Zhang’s face. Zhang regained full guard, but Namajunas continued to strike from the top and she prevented Zhang from getting up. With just over 30 seconds remaining, Namajunas postured up with a right hand. She stood up and dropped back down with another punch to Zhang’s face. The fight ended with Namajunas punching from the top. 10-9 Namajunas.

Winner: Rose Namajunas by Split Decision (49-46, 48-47, 47-48) after five rounds. She improves to 11-4-0 and remains the UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion.

 

Marlon “Chito” Vera vs Frankie “The Answer” Edgar

Round 1:
Edgar struck first with a right hook and Vera countered a takedown attempt with a knee to his face. Edgar landed another combination and he took Vera down. Vera trapped him in a guillotine choke on the way down, but Edgar passed to half-guard and escaped. Vera got back to full guard and Edgar dropped short elbows and punches. Vera tried to tie him up from the bottom, but Edgar remained effective with his ground and pound. Edgar stood up and Vera landed two hard upkicks. Edgar dropped back down into Vera’s guard and he opened a cut on the bridge of Vera’s nose with elbows. Edgar stood again and Vera landed an upkick after the bell sounded. 10-9 Edgar.

Round 2:
Vera landed a one-two and a body kick in the second round and Edgar responded with a lead left hook. He took Vera down and Vera threw up his legs in search of a submission. Edgar struck with elbows until Vera did a back roll and got to his feet. Edgar landed a three-punch combo and followed with an uppercut. Vera countered with a knee that landed flush, but Edgar was unfazed. Vera scored with a knee to the body that had a much greater effect and Edgar circled away to his right. Edgar landed two overhand rights and Vera answered with an elbow that staggered him briefly. Very close second round. 10-9 Vera.

Round 3:
After an unsuccessful takedown attempt, Edgar landed a right hook and Vera finished a combination with a body kick. Time was called after Edgar’s mouthpiece fell out. The fight continued and Edgar caught a body kick. He got Vera down very briefly, but Vera stood back up. The fighters circled and Vera landed a front kick to the face. He dropped face-first to the mat and the fight was stopped.

Winner: Marlon Vera by KO (Front Kick) at 3:50 of round three. He improves to 18-7-1.

 

“Hurricane” Shane Burgos vs Billy Quarantillo

Round 1:
After first trading leg kicks, Quarantillo landed an overhand right and two uppercuts as he pressed forward. He continued to throw uppercuts and just missed with a flying knee. Burgos landed a right hook and clinched with Quarantillo against the cage. Burgos alternated between foot stomps and knees to the body until Quarantillo broke free and circled to his left. He landed a hard jab and then countered a Burgos leg kick with a step-in uppercut. Burgos began to bleed heavily from his nose and Quarantillo scored with jabs and an uppercut. Burgos cracked him with a right hook to the temple and he prevented Quarantillo from scoring a takedown. Burgos landed a leg kick and then dropped Quarantillo to a knee with a counter right hook as Quarantillo stepped forward. Quarantillo recovered and jabbed in the final seconds, but he could not get Burgos down. 10-9 Burgos.

Round 2:
Power punches were exchanged right away in round two and Quarantillo landed two combinations and a winging right hook. He backed Burgos up with jabs, but Burgos kicked out Quarantillo’s lead leg. Quarantillo rose to his feet and initiated a clinch. Burgos pushed him away and then tried for a takedown of his own. Quarantillo stuffed it and he resumed jabbing. Burgos scored with two right hooks and he attacked the inside and outside of Quarantillo’s left leg with kicks. More leg kicks landed for Burgos, but Quarantillo tagged him with a right hook. That led to an exchange of power punches and Burgos hurt Quarantillo with right hooks to his face and body before the bell. 10-9 Burgos.

Round 3:
Time was called early in the final round when Quarantillo was poked in the eye. Action continued and Quarantillo was heavily favouring his left leg from the force of Burgos’s kicks in the second round. Burgos landed two right hooks and Quarantillo fell after absorbing another leg kick. He stood up and tried to drag Burgos down after taking his back. Burgos simply shook him off and the fight returned to the feet. Burgos punched to the body and head, then countered a clinch with an elbow to Quarantillo’s face. Quarantillo was able to secure a clinch and he pulled Burgos down with a heel hook attempt. Burgos quickly escaped and stood up. Burgos landed uppercuts in a clinch and Quarantillo replied with knees to the body. The fight ended with a final exchange of punches. 10-9 Burgos.

Winner: Shane Burgos by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 14-3-0.

 

Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje vs “Iron” Michael Chandler

Round 1:
Gaethje threw leg kicks right away and he grazed with a right hook. Another right hand landed for Gaethje, but Chandler counter with a hard one-two. That led to an exchange of power punches and Chandler began to mix in leg kicks of his own. Right hooks landed for both men and Chandler followed up on a series of leg kicks with two overhand rights. He wobbled Gaethje with a flying knee and a right hook to the temple. Gaethje recovered enough to land an overhand right in return and Chandler began to bleed from cuts above and below his right eye. Chandler landed a right hook and an uppercut, but he ate an uppercut from Gaethje in return. Chandler, now bleeding from his mouth as well, tried unsuccessfully for a takedown. Gaethje landed a hard leg kick before the end of the excellent round. 10-9 Chandler.

Round 2:
The second round began with Gaethje landing a right hook, which Chandler answered with two jabs. Gaethje scored with a leg kick and an overhand right, then followed with an uppercut after backing Chandler up against the cage. A big right uppercut sent Chandler crashing to the mat and Gaethje tried to finish him with punches on the ground. Chandler, bleeding heavily from multiple cuts, got to his knees and tried to drag Gaethje down. Gaethje sprawled and he landed more punches to Chandler’s swollen face until Chandler battled back to his feet. Gaethje landed a big uppercut, but Chandler responded with a Superman Punch. Another uppercut scored for Gaethje and he followed with a one-two. Chandler inadvertently poked Gaethje in the eye during an exchange and Gaethje turned his back. Chandler landed a right hand before time was called. The fight continued after a very brief pause and the bell sounded. 10-9 Gaethje.

Round 3:
Gaethje opened the final round with a leg kick that turned Chandler around. Chandler connected with a right hand and Gaethje landed another leg kick. Chandler flurried to the body and Gaethje used a leg kick to set up two uppercuts. Chandler took a step backward and Gaethje landed another big leg kick. Chandler attempted a takedown and Gaethje flipped forward to escape, then took Chandler’s back and landed right hands to Chandler’s face. Chandler was able to break free from the clinch and he landed flurries to Gaethje’s body and head. Gaethje rocked him with a right hook behind the ear, but Chandler continued to walk forward. Gaethje stunned him with three more hooks and then another leg kick. Chandler danced around in the final minute and missed two spinning kick attempts. 10-9 Gaethje.

Winner: Justin Gaethje by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 23-3-0.

 

(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)