UFC 268: 10 Things We Learned (Extended Edition)
Running through the takeaways from an incredible night of action at Madison Square Garden in New York City
What a night.
What a freakinā night, man.
Letās get to it.
Usman Retains, Wraps Up Fighter of the Year
Kamaru Usman successfully defended his UFC welterweight title on Saturday night, outworking Colby Covington for a second time, sweeping the scorecards against his chief rival to secure his third championship victory of 2021, effectively wrapping up Fighter of the Year honours.
For a moment in the second round, it looked like it was going to be over early, as Usman dropped Covington twice in the round, catching the challenger with clean shots that had him on the ropes. But āChaosā steeled himself away and rallied, turning it into a close, competitive fight over the final three rounds, showcasing his toughness and resolve, only to come up short for a second time.
In addition to closing out an incredible year, Usman continues his unprecedented run inside the Octagon.
āThe Nigerian Nightmareā is a perfect 15-0 in the UFC, with five consecutive successful title defences. Heās one fight back of equalling Anderson Silvaās record for the most consecutive successful victories in UFC history, and has now equalled Matt Hughes for the second most successful title defences in the welterweight division, sitting four back of Georges St-Pierre. Catching the Canadian Hall of Famer isnāt out of the question, especially with the improvements and adjustments Usman has made over the last year, coupled with the fact that he posted a trio of title wins in the last 10 months.
Give Covington His Due
You donāt have to like him, and itās understandable if you donāt, but you have to give Covington his due for being a tremendous, tremendous fighter.
Covington has gone damn-near 50 minutes running close to parallel with Usman over two fights, coming up just a little short each time. Heās 11-3 in the UFC, and 8-2 over his last 10, with the reigning champ being the only man to get the better of him.
For all intents and purposes, āChaosā is the Daniel Cormier to Usmanās Jon Jones ā a truly elite talent who just happens to be competing at a time when there is a generational talent ahead of him in the division. Heās developed from being a straight wrestler into a more well-rounded talent, and you canāt question his grit and resolve after these two battles with Usman, all of which is unfortunately obscured by his deplorable persona and the way he comports himself in interviews and on social media.
Like Cormier with Jones, Covington would be an unquestioned, dominant force atop the welterweight division if not for the looming presence of Usman one step ahead of him.
āRematch Roseā Retains Her Title
Rose Namajunas successfully defended her strawweight title on Saturday night, securing a split decision victory over former champ Zhang Weili to cement her place atop the division and running her record to 4-0 in rematches thus far in her career.
This was a close, varied affair, featuring periods of technical, striking, prolonged grappling exchanges, and tense action in every phase. Both women landed heavy shots at different points over the 25-minute clash, and Namajunas seemed to salt things away with extended top control in the fifth and final round.
The scores from the media were divided, both live during the contest and at the end of the fight, and when the official tallies were read aloud, the 49-46 lead me to believe we had a new champion, but instead, it was āAnd Stillā and Iām still not sure how you score that fight 4-1 in Namajunasā favor. Thatās not to take anything away from the champion, because you can certainly make a case for 48-47 Namajunas without issue, but giving her the final four rounds, as judge Eric Colon did on Saturday, feels like a stretch.
This is one of those fights that needs to be watched back without the commentary on and without having to produce a live recap, which Iāll try to tackle Sunday or Monday, but for now, āThug Roseā remains on top, and she could have another rematch on deck, as former titleholder Carla Esparza is waiting in the wings, ready to face Namajunas for a second time.
Marlon Vera Gets His Defining Victory
Marlon āChitoā Vera secured the biggest win of his career on Saturday night, scoring a third-round stoppage win over Frankie Edgar with a beautifully placed front kick up the middle that caught āThe Answerā flush.
Heading into this one, the talented 28-year-old has struggled to get over the hump against the divisionās elite, most recently dropping a decision to Jose Aldo last December. But he rose to the occasion at Madison Square Garden, rallying after dropping the opening stanza to grab control of the fight in the second and get Edgar out of there in the third. Vera looked poised and confident throughout, attacking off his back when he got taken down in the first, and aggressive in stalking the 40-year-old veteran the rest of the way, staying in Edgarās face and eventually putting him away.
Vera has been in the UFC for seven years and registered his 10th finish and 12th victory on Saturday, but whatās most intriguing is that heās still in the early stages of his athletic prime, showing continued development every time out. He has unquestioned toughness and grit, and as he keeps sharpening his skills and learning how to best deploy them, āChitoā could emerge as a legitimate contender in the deep and talented bantamweight ranks.
Burgos, Quarantillo Set Featherweight Record
Shane Burgos and Billy Quarantillo set a new featherweight record for significant strikes landed in a three-round fight, battering each other from pillar-to-post for 15 minutes in a tremendous back-and-forth battle that would have be heralded as a Fight of the Night frontrunner if it didnāt follow the incendiary brawl between Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler.
Burgos came away with the victory, snapping a two-fight losing streak by deploying his familiar ādeath by a thousand cutsā approach to out-work the resilient Quarantillo.
This was one of those fights where both menās stock rises regardless of the outcome, as āHurricane Shaneā delivered another dynamic striking performance to solidify his standing as a Top 15 talent in the ultra-competitive 145-pound weight class, and āBilly Qā proved heās every bit as game, continuing to press forward in the third despite having a beat up lead leg and looking like he was ready to collapse at a couple different points.
Itās a shame this fight landed on this card, and followed the lightweight main card opener, because this was the kind of battle that would have commanded far more attention and acclaim on any other Saturday, but the fact that it still had people buzzing despite being on this card tells you exactly how entertaining it was.
Take a bow, boys; youāve earned it.
Absolute Psychopaths, Absolute Warriors
Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler beat the holy hell out of one another from the opening second, swinging nothing but hammers through the first five minutes, leaving the crowd at MSG on their feet, screaming at the top of their lungs.
In the second, Gaethje floored Chandler with an uppercut that turns out the lights of just 93% of the population, yet somehow, Chandler endured, not only recovering, but rallying to have quality moments of his own in the waning moments of the round. In the third, they stayed after it, smashing each other with hellacious blows that would have prompted many mortals to quit on the spot, but instead, these two absolute psychopaths just kept swinging, somehow fighting right through to the final horn, with Gaethje earning the unanimous decision win.
Hereās what I said when discussing the bout with my guy Harry Powell on Twitter:
Iām in awe of these athletes for a multitude of reasons, and sometimes, itās simply because theyāre inhumanly tough and unfathomably willing to put themselves in harmās way for our entertainment.
The opening round was arguably the best of the year, and overall, it was one of the most outstanding three-round fights in recent memory.
Coach of the Year: Trevor Wittman
He doesnāt shepherd a ton of fighters into the Octagon, but Trevor Wittman has to be the 2021 Coach of the Year, especially after Saturday night.
Each of Wittmanās three charges āĀ Kamaru Usman, Rose Namajunas, and Justin Gaethje ā all earned victories, with Usman and Namajunas having five championship wins between them this year, and Gaethje punching his ticket to a lightweight title fight with his win over Michael Chandler in the pay-per-view opener. The perpetually positive, always smiling Wittman doesnāt get the shine some of the more high profile head coaches at big facilities receive, but when youāre as successful with a selective collection of fighters as heās been, especially this year, it highlights just how special he is as a coach.
Whatās most impressive (amongst the many impressive pieces) is that you can see the impact of his teachings with each fighter: heās dialled back Gaethjeās craziness, while still allowing him to fight in his trademark frenetic style; heās turned Namajunas in a technical striker at range, eschewing the wild attacks that highlighted the her early appearances; and he transformed Usman from a rudimentary striker into a skilled boxer with impressive power.
Itās really quite incredible.
Congrats on a terrific night, Coach, and an outstanding year.
Impossible to Not Overreact
In Wednesdayās One Question series, I asked if we would avoid overreacting to whatever Alex Pereira did in his debut against Andreas Michailidis, knowing the hype surrounding the two-division Glory Kickboxing champion who holds twin victories over middleweight champ Israel Adesanya was already serious and anything other than a loss would spark conversations about pairing the rivals off in the Octagon.
After navigating a first round where Michailidis forced the Brazilian to grapple, Pereira wasted no time getting the Greek middleweight out of there in the second, flying through the air to land a perfect switch knee to the jaw. While referee Dan Miragliotta somehow hadnāt seen enough, everyone else certainly did, and you can expect the hype to escalate and the talk of a fight with Adesanya to begin.
Listen āĀ Pereira is still new to MMA and needs to log a couple more fights and a couple more wins over increasingly experienced and dangerous talent before meriting a championship opportunity, but itās impossible not be excited about his prospects and the potential he possesses after watching him put away Michailidis on Saturday. He trains alongside new light heavyweight titleholder Glover Teixeira and has the chance to improve by leaps and bounds, and if he does, the sky is the limit for the explosive new arrival.
You Gotta Love Bobby āKingā Green
I mean, I guess you donāt have to love Bobby Green, but I really donāt understand how or why you wouldnāt, as the 35-year-old lightweight is a perpetually entertaining talent, and Saturday night, he delivered the best performance of his UFC career.
Working behind quick hands, Green picked apart returning Long Island native Al Iaquinta, stinging him with clean punches each time he tried to press forward and close the distance. Right as analyst Din Thomas talked about Iaquinta having a hard time seeing the punches coming, Green unleashed a clean one-two that dropped the local favorite, chasing him to the canvas and putting him away with follow-up blows on the ground.
āKingā has always seemed like a book that is being unfairly judged by its cover to me āĀ someone who wants to entertain and inspired miscast by the audience as a brash showman and thug.
When you know what Green has been through over the course of his 35 years, youāre bound to have a different appreciation for him, and when you hear him talk about his mission after seeing him deliver as he did on Saturday night, there is no way you can tell me you donāt want to root for the California-based veteran going forward.
Curtis Collects a Massive Upset
Chris Curtis made 34 appearances and called it quits three different times before finally stepping into the Octagon for the first time on Saturday night, squaring off with Phil Hawes, and āAction Manā made the absolute most of his long-awaited opportunity, stopping there rising star late in the first round to secure the massive upset victory.
I got to speak with Curtis in the run up to this fight and itās impossible not to be happy for him when you know all heās sacrificed, all heās invested to reach this point, and to see him rally to finish Hawes, itās hard not to be excited for the debuting veteran.
Hawes was in total control to start, seemingly toying with Curtis as he popped him with clean strikes at range and threatened takedowns, flashing the impressive speed and power combination that have long made him a name to watch in the middleweight division. But with a little under a minute to go in the round, Curtis uncorked a counter left hand that connected flush and put Hawes on rubber legs. A knee to the midsection finished things off and sent Curtis into celebration mode.
Whatās even crazier about this effort is that Curtisā future likely rests at welterweight, though it will be interesting to see if this performance makes his think twice about cutting weight and opt instead to stick around at ā85 while heās earned some instant momentum with this incredible upset victory.
Nassourdine Imavov is Nasty
Nassourdine Imavov continued his ascent in the middleweight division, earning a gnarly second-round stoppage win over Edmen Shahbazyan, unloading a torrent of elbows from the mounted crucifix on the former rising star to bring the fight to a bloody close.
The 26-year-old Russian-born, Paris-based prospect showed his usual patient, fluid striking while the operated in space, but it was once they clinched and grappled that the additional elements of the MMA Factory productās game were on display, and they looked good. He worked back to his feet quickly when Shahbazyan put him on the canvas, and attacked three different chokes, nearly completing a power guillotine in both the first and second round. When Shahbazyan pulled a guillotine midway through the second, Imavov quickly passed to safety and went on the offensive, dropping elbows, opening up āThe Golden Boy,ā and finishing him late in the round.
Imavov is already a handful and keeps getting better, showing improved takedown defence to go along with fluid striking in space and a genuine nasty streak once he has opponents hurt. After dropping a close decision to Phil Hawes earlier this year, āThe Sniperā has now earned consecutive second-round stoppage wins, and should join the Top 15 when the rankings update next week.
His teammate and training partner Ciryl Gane has quickly risen to claim interim gold in the heavyweight division, and with the way heās progressing, Imavov could be in the hunt in the middleweight division by this time next year, if not sooner.
Ian Garry Could Be Something Special
It didn't start as smoothly as most likely envisioned, but highly touted Irish prospect Ian Garry closed out his UFC debut in spectacular fashion, flattening Jordan Williams with a beautiful step-off right hand down the pipe at the close of the opening round.
Projected to be the next superstar from across the Atlantic, Garry was a little slow to start, eating a few good shots from Williams and struggling to find his range and rhythm. After locking up along the cage with the American for a piece, the 23-year-old settled in a little more, and when Williams over-reached towards the end of the first, Garry pivoted and connected with a clean, crisp right hand that put him on skates, with two more blows closing it out.
The finish will rightfully garner all the headlines, but the start is the piece to pay close attention to, as Williamsā early success highlights that Garry still has plenty to work on and plenty of room to grow as a fighter, but he knows that. Heās 8-0, has an incredible frame for the welterweight division, and is working with an elite team at Sanford MMA, all of which should help Garry progress by leaps and bounds over the next few years.
How far can he take it? Given what heās shown thus far, Garry is likely to develop into a contender, and if he stays healthy, stays focused, and continues to grow at his current rate, āThe Futureā should fight for UFC gold and could eventually stand atop the welterweight division.
Chris Barnett is So Much Fun
Hardcore fans have known it for quite some time, but UFC audiences now know that Chris āBeast Boyā Barnett is one of the most entertaining customers on the UFC roster.
Saturday night in Madison Square Garden, the heavyweight veteran danced his way to the cage and then collected a second-round spinning wheel kick finish of the retiring Gian Villante, punctuating his performance with a post-fight front flip and a post-interview dance session.
Heavyweights arenāt supposed to move like that, especially not big fellas like the veteran Barnett, but heās deceptively athletic and damn sure fun to watch each and every time he steps into the cage.
āThe Hanyakā Becoming Interesting at Light Heavyweight
Dustin Jacoby just keeps stacking up strong performances, jumping in on short notice and securing a unanimous decision win over John Allan on Saturday night.
Since returning to the UFC after earning a contract on the Contender Series last August, the technical kickboxer has gone 4-0-1 to establish himself as an interesting name in the 205-pound weight class. While this wasnāt his most crisp showing during this 14-month run, to come off an elk hunt to out-hustle Allan for 15 minutes is impressive, and a five-fight unbeaten streak is never something to ignore.
Light heavyweight is wide open beyond the Top 10 and Jacobyās surge should carry him into a matchup with a more recognizable name next time out, perhaps even a pairing against someone in the lower-third of the rankings like Ryan Spann or Jimmy Crute. Jacoby has a ton of combat sports experience, and has to be considered a person of interest in the division given the run heās on right now.
Strong Starts, Solid Wins for Osbourne, Baghdasaryan
Odeā Osbourne and Melsik Baghdasaryan collected unanimous decision victories in the first two bouts of the evening, claiming the first two rounds in their bouts with CJ Vergara and Bruno Souza respectively before their paces slowed and their foes had greater success in the third frame.
Osbourne looked sharp and crisp early in the opener, using his speed advantage and previous UFC experience to get out ahead of Vergara, who was making his promotional debut on a massive fight card at Madison Square Garden. As the fight progressed, however, Osbourneās output waned and the newcomer started getting comfortable, closing out the fight in top position. Baghdasaryanās fight with Souza was far more tactical, as āThe Gunā had a hard time cutting off Souza, attacking with low, outside leg kicks and sporadic punches as the two engaged in mostly a point-karate style contest. Much like there opener, Souzaās output climbed in the third as Baghdasaryanās receded, with the Armenian kickboxing claiming 29-28 scores across the board to secure the win.
In both instances, there were positive moments for Osbourne and Baghdasaryan to build on, but neither showed enough to make any real long-term reads on where they stand in their respective divisions. The victories move them forward and they each gain much needed cage time by going to the distance, with a slight step up in competition likely coming for each next time out.
For the vanquished, this was a good learning experience for each in their debuts, with both growing more comfortable as the fight progressed and remaining interesting prospects to keep tabs on going forward.