7 Fights We Need to See After UFC 268
UFC 268 went down Saturday night in New York City, and we'll probably be talking about the event for years to come.
The card was topped by a welterweight title fight between champion Kamaru Usman, the UFC's No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, and his archnemesis Colby Covington. The bout was the second act of a back-and-forth 2019 fight that Usman won by fifth-round stoppage. The sequel, like the original, was a thrilling affair, with Usman once again winning, this time by unanimous decision.
UFC 268 was co-headlined by another championship rematch, as strawweight champion Rose Namajunas sought to defend her strap against China's Weili Zhang, whom she defeated via first-round KO to win the title in April. Unlike the pair's first fight, the rematch was razor-close, with Namajunas retaining via split decision after five competitive rounds.
While those championship fights are dominating most of the headlines post-fight, they are not all UFC 268 had to offer. Earlier on the main card, rising Ecuadorian bantamweight Marlon "Chito" Vera picked up arguably the biggest win over his career, defeating former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar with a third-round kick to the face. Not long before that, Justin Gaethje defeated fellow lightweight contender Michael Chandler by unanimous decision in a 2021 Fight of the Year contender.
Throw in successful UFC debuts for highly regarded prospects Ian Garry and Alex Pereira, and it was definitely one for the ages.
Here are the seven fights we're hoping to see once the dust has settled.
Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards II
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Kamaru Usman has already entered that rare stage of championship dominance when he's being forced to recycle challengers. That trend is likely to continue after his UFC 268 win over Covington.
We're hoping Usman will next be matched up with Leon Edwards. Usman holds a 2015 decision win over Edwards—which occurred long before either many was anywhere near title contention—but the Brit has since racked nine straight wins, including triumphs over Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson, Rafael dos Anjos and Nate Diaz.
If he gets by Jorge Masvidal at UFC 269 in December, his claim to a rematch with Usman will be undeniable. Like pretty much everybody else, he will most likely enter the cage with the champ as a significant underdog, but he at least deserves the opportunity to shock the oddsmakers.
Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal
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After suffering a second loss to Kamaru Usman in the UFC 268, Colby Covington finds himself in uncertain territory. He's one of the best fighters in the world, but with two losses to the champion of his division, he will likely need to move mountains to earn another title shot.
Covington should began his long march back to title contention with a fight with Jorge Masvidal, another two-time Usman victim. Covington and Masvidal were close friends and training partners for many years, but the relationship soured when they reached the top of the welterweight division simultaneously.
Today, they are two of the fiercest rivals in MMA.
It's an opportunity Covington clearly wants.
"I think the most logical step is the heated rivalry with me and my old roommate, 'Street Judas' Masvidal," Covington said at the UFC 268 post-fight press conference. "He should probably pull out of that fight with Leon [Edwards], and we should just run it in the first quarter of the year."
As Covington suggests, Masvidal is slated to fight Edwards at UFC 269, but no matter the outcome of that fight, the pair should be matched up next.
Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza II
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Rose Namajunas seemingly has two primary options after her second win over Weili Zhang: a fight with Brazilian striker Marina Rodriguez or a fight with American grappler Carla Esparza. Either fight would present an interesting challenge for the champ—and we're hoping both happen. But we would like to see her defend against Esparza first.
Not only does Esparza hold a 2020 split-decision win over Rodriguez, but she also holds a 2014 win over Namajunas. That came via a third-round rear-naked choke during the UFC's first strawweight title fight—when Namajunas was just 2-1 overall.
Today, with Namajunas an established champion and Esparza on a solid five-fight win streak, the rematch makes plenty of sense. The pair's history is merely the icing on the cake.
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Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk II
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After a second loss to Rose Namajunas, it's back to the drawing board for Weili Zhang, who until very recently looked like she could rule over the strawweight division for a long time.
We're hoping Zhang looks to get back on track against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Zhang has fought Jedrzejczyk, the former UFC strawweight champion, once before, defending her title against the Pole with a split decision in March 2020. It bears mentioning that their fight was one of the greatest of all time—maybe even the greatest outright.
The rematch has made sense since the moment the two women hobbled out of the Octagon. Today, when Zhang is looking to rebound from back-to-back losses to Namajunas, the timing couldn't be better.
The fight also seems like the perfect way to coax Jedrzejczyk, who hasn't fought since she lost to Zhang, off the sidelines.
Justin Gaethje vs. Oliveira-Poirier Winner
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When Justin Gaethje defeated Michael Chandler on the UFC 268 main card, he immediately called for a fight with the winner of an upcoming title fight between champion Charles Oliveira and challenger Dustin Poirier.
"Hopefully it's Oliveira in Brazil or Poirier down in Louisiana. I don't give a f--k," Gaethje told commentator Joe Rogan. "I'm ranked No. 2, and I just got an impressive win. Who else?"
Streaking contenders Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush will likely take issue with Gaethje's demands, but it's hard to argue with him.
While Gaethje is just one win removed from an unsuccessful title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, he's done more at lightweight than Makhachev and Dariush combined. Throw in the fact that he's one of the most exciting fighters in MMA history who seems to be nearing the final chapters of his career, and it makes even more sense that he gets the next shot.
Makhachev and Dariush will get their chances. Gaethje deserves his first.
Marlon Vera vs. Cruz-Munhoz Winner
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Marlon Vera picked up perhaps the biggest victory of his career on the UFC 268 main card, short-circuiting former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar with a snapping front kick in the third-round of their bantamweight fight.
The win over Edgar will catapult Vera up the bantamweight rankings. He might even land inside the top 10. One way or the other, he deserves a big opportunity in his next outing.
We're hoping to see him matched up with the winner of the scheduled fight between Pedro Munhoz and Dominick Cruz at UFC 269. Munhoz and Cruz, ranked ninth and 11th at bantamweight, respectively, would both make great tests for Vera. In fact, a win over either man could set up the Ecuadorian for a fight with a top-five foe.
Ian Garry vs. Mickey Gall
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Ian Garry stepped into the cage on the UFC 268 undercard as one of the hottest prospects in MMA. He justified that reputation in emphatic fashion, crushing Jordan Williams with a volley of punches in the final seconds of Round 1.
The win marked a successful UFC debut for the unbeaten welterweight, who is already drawing comparisons to fellow Irishman Conor McGregor.
Garry should look to keep the hype train on the rails against Mickey Gall, who is also riding a victory over Williams—a first-round rear-naked choke. Gall is well-established in the Octagon, with nine UFC fights on his resume, but he just 7-3 as a pro, making him a fitting next step for Garry. Gall would also almost certainly engage Garry in some fun pre-fight banter. It makes all the sense in the world.
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