The UFC’s record-breaking financial year continued to get better with the news that November 6th’s UFC 268 drew in the range of 700,000 domestic pay-per-view buys through ESPN+.
Per usual, the number was first reported by John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal.
The event took place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and was headlined by welterweight champion Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington II. The PPV also featured a rematch between strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and former champion Weili Zhang and a much-anticipated lightweight fight between Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje.
An Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal title fight at UFC 261 earlier this year also did in the 700,000 range.
The number is UFC’s fourth-highest of the calendar year, headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier II at UFC 257. Their trilogy fight at UFC 264 did 1.5 million buys while March’s UFC 259 (Israel Adesanya vs. Jan Blachowicz champion vs. champion) did 800,000 buys.
UFC will close out the year with one final PPV: December 11th’s UFC 269, headlined by Poirier challenging lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes defending against Julianna Pena.
Details on all the WWE cuts, reasons some were cut, and new philosophies on talent
WWE finances, its future, how the return of arena shows has impacted business, short and long-term TV rights fees talked about by Nick Khan, why certain cities are getting stadium shows in 2022
How WWE ratings are doing compared to the rest of television
Update on Survivor Series
2021 Hall of Fame ballot, leading candidates to go in, how the balloting works, which active wrestlers have the best qualifications, candidates that aren’t well known in North America, which wrestlers have gotten the highest vote totals in history, the list of first ballot Hall of Famers, which active wrestlers have been voted into the Hall of Fame
Ticket sales for the upcoming major WWE & AEW shows
Jon Moxley talks about a ton of different subjects
An early look at the first AEW special on TNT
Jim Ross talks battle with skin cancer
Television ratings from the past week, international TV ratings
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and my weekend show is up on the site, talking Angelo Mosca, WWE cuts, UFC and New Japan big shows and more. We will be back tomorrow night talking Raw.
Garrett Gonzalez will be among those ringing the opening bell tomorrow morning at the New York Stock Exchange as Nextdoor, the company he was one of the founders of, goes public tomorrow.
As far as Google searches for the past week, the two big ones obviously were the Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant fight at 2.5 million and the UFC PPV show from Madison Square Garden at 2 million. WWE cuts on Friday were No. 14 at 100,000.Jon Moxley was No. 13 on Wednesday also at 100,000.
Regarding last night’s two title matches, in the Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington fight, Judge Derek Cleary gave Usman the first, second, third and fifth rounds. Sal D’Amato gave him the first, second and fifth. Dave Tirrell gave Usman the first, second and third round. None of the three gave Usman a 10-8 second round. In media scores, 68 percent had a 10-8 second round. 86 percent of media scores were for Usman with nine percent having it even and five percent had it for Covington.
In the Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili fight, 61 percent of reports had it for Namajunas, 35 percent had it for Weili and four percent had it even. Judge Mike Bell gave the first three rounds to Zhang. Judge Eric Colon have only the first round d to Zhang. Judge Douglas Crosby gave the first and third rounds to Zhang. I had the first three for Zhang close and the last two clearly for Namajunas.
We are doing polls this weekend on both the UFC show last night and the New Japan Power Struggle show yesterday. You can vote for a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to [email protected]’re also looking for reports from yesterday’s WWE show at SSE Wembley in London to [email protected].
Results from today’s Smackdown brand house show in Liverpool, England:
Finn Balor b Sheamus
Shayna Baszler b Natalya
Walter b Cesaro (said to be the best match of the show)
Tommaso Ciampa b Bron Breakker & Sami Zayn
Shinsuke Nakamura b Jinder Mahal
Jeff Hardy b Madcap Moss-DQ
Jeff Hardy & Drew McIntyre b Happy Corbin & Madcap Moss
Charlotte Flair b Sasha Banks to keep the Smackdown women’s title
So Balor won’t be on Raw tomorrow since he’s on the tour. (thanks to Stephan Lyon and Liam Armstrong)
Jeff Cobb will be going to CMLL soon with TJP as reps from New Japan.
Charlie Bruzzese was announced as the newest member of the 2300 Arena Hardcore Hall of Fame. Bruzzese helped produce the ECW television show
Rob Black’s XPW is doing a rebirth show tonight from the Armory in Rochester, NY at 76 p.m. There will be a one night tournament to crown a new XPW champion with first round matches of Masada vs. Rhino, Bill Collier vs. TJP, Brian Cage vs. KC Navarro and Willie Mack vs. Matt Cross. Also on the show are Silas Young, Vincent, Shlak,,G-Raver, Colin Delaney, Facade and Madman Fulton.
Pro Wrestling All-Stars from Friday night in Taylor, MI: Royce Carney III & Tanner Nix & Brutus Atwell b Alex Van Zant & Frank Isaac Anderson & Kyler Coleman, Chuck Stein & Sean Lawhorn & The Spider b Top Fun & Iron Eagle & Roadhouse-DQ, Chinstrap Jesus b Solo, N8 Mattson & Breyer Wellington & Zach Main b Royce Carney III & Tanner Nix& Brutus Atwell, Mysterious Movado & Adam Wick b Top Gun & Iron Eagle in a non-title match, Zach Gowen b LJ Lawrence, Lamano Star won Battle Royal, Chuck Stein & Sean Law, Chuck Stein & Sean Lawhorn The Spider b N8 Mattson & Breyer Wellington & Zach Man, Atlas Hytower b Ace Austin (thanks to Leonard Brand)
On a night that featured seven fights ending via knockout or TKO, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas both retained their titles in decision wins at UFC 268 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Usman defeated Colby Covington (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) by unanimous decision while Namajunas bested Weili Zhang by split decision (49-46, 48-47 for Namajunas, 48-47 for Zhang). Both were rematches.
For Usman, it was his nineteenth straight win with fifteen of those coming in the Octagon where he remains undefeated. This was the fifth defense of the title he won in March 2019, his third this calendar year, and the second over Covington, who has now lost two of his last three.
Usman hit a pair of left hooks in the second round that had Covington hurt, but it was too close to the end of the round for Usman to keep up the attack and go for the finish. Covington started to come on at the end of the third round and it continued in the fourth, gaining confidence as he landed some punches. Usman’s face looked unmarked at the end of the fight while Covington was bloodied up early.
Namajunas defeated Zhang for the title in just 78 seconds this past April, but the two had a much more competitive encounter Saturday with media scores all over the map. Namajunas’ takedowns near the end of the fight helped in her favor as she came on late. She now will likely face former champion Carla Esparza next.
The show had six straight finishes by KO/TKO at one point, all on the prelims. Surprisingly, one of those was not Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler which opened the pay-per-view. Gaethje won a unanimous decision in a fight of the year candidate.
The only main card finish was Marlon “Chito” Vera finishing Frankie Edgar by third round knockout with a front kick reminiscent of Anderson Silva’s famous knockout of Vitor Belfort.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2, emanating from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
The Octagon returns to The World’s Most Famous Arena for the first time in two years, bringing a stacked card with two title fights, both of which are rematches between heated rivals in their respective divisions.
UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman defends against long-time rival Colby Covington in the main event. It is a rematch of their fight that took place at UFC 245 in December 2019, which saw Usman finish Covington in the fifth round of a fantastic fight. Usman has since defended the title three times, with a pair of wins over Jorge Masvidal and one over Gilbert Burns, while Covington has fought just once, a win over former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, which came over a year ago in September 2020.
In the co-main event, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas defends against former champion Zhang Weili in another rematch. Namajunas scored a first-round knockout of Weili to win the title at UFC 261 in April, becoming a two-time champion. Weili has her chance to regain the title in this one, while also avenging her first loss in nearly eight years.
Also on the main card is an exciting and pivotal lightweight bout as Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler do battle in a fight that could determine the next title challenger at lightweight. The other two main card bouts see featherweights Shane Burgos and Billy Quarantillo do battle, and it opens with former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar taking on Marlon Vera.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
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> CJ Vergara (9-2-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Ode Osbourne (9-4, 1-2 UFC) Flyweights* (Vergara missed weight by 1.4 pounds)
Vergara is making his UFC debut and missed weight. Osbourne lands the jab. Osbourne with a left hand. They trade in close range. Osbourne with a flying knee that just barely misses. They trade leg kicks. They trade punches after Vergara lands a left hook. Osbourne lands a left hand. Osbourne with some body kicks. Osbourne lands a left hand as Vergara lands a check right hook. Vergara lands a left hand. Osbourne lands a quick combo then a body kick. Osbourne shoots for a takedown and grabs a single leg. He lets go. They trade late. Vergara with a high kick that gets blocked. 10-9 Osbourne.
Osbourne lands a combo to start the second. Both are looking for openings. Osbourne with a left hook followed by a straight right hand. Osbourne with a left hand. Vergara throwing but not landing much. Vergara with a leg kick. Osbourne with a body kick. They trade in close range and Vergara gets the better of it with a left hook at the end. They trade in close and Osbourne gets a brief takedown but Vergara explodes up. Vergara bleeding a little as he lands a leg kick. They trade and Vergara lands a left hand. They trade and Osbourne gets Vergara down late and has the back at the end. 10-9 Osbourne, 20-18 Osbourne.
They’re trading to start the third and both land kicks. Vergara lands a right hand and Osbourne lands a right hand. Vergara coming forward and lands some knees to the body. Vergara lands a body kick and falls after getting hit from an Osbourne left hand but gets right up. Vergara pressing forward. They trade and clinch and Vergara lands a knee to the body. Osbourne with a left hook and a right hand. Vergara with a knee to the body. They scramble to the mat and Vergara is in the guard of Osbourne. Vergara with some body shots and then lands an elbow from the top. Vergara with some big elbows. Vergara with more ground strikes as he finishes the fight strong. 10-9 Vergara, 29-28 Osbourne.
Official Result- Ode Osbourne def. CJ Vergara by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Melsik Baghdasaryan (6-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Bruno Souza (10-1, 0-0 UFC) Featherweights* (Souza missed weight by 2.4 pounds)
Souza is making his UFC debut and missed weight. Baghdasaryan with a leg kick. Souza with a body kick. Baghdasaryan with a leg kick. Baghdasaryan lands a right hand. Souza with a high kick. Baghdasaryan lands a left hand. Souza with a body kick. Souza with a leg kick. Baghdasaryan with a leg kick. Souza shoots for a takedown but Baghdasaryan defending. Baghdasaryan with a knee to the body before they break. Baghdasaryan with a spin kick. They trade punches and Baghdasaryan with a body kick. 10-9 Baghdasaryan.
Souza with a right hand to the body. Baghdasaryan throws a high kick. They scramble for a moment. Baghdasaryan trying to land kicks and Souza is circling away from them. Baghdasaryan with a leg kick. Souza with a body kick as Baghdasaryan lands a right hand. They trade in close range. Baghdasaryan with a leg kick. Baghdasaryan lands a left hand. Souza with a body kick and Baghdasaryan lands a nice left hand. Baghdasaryan lands a big uppercut and Souza is retreating away. Baghdasaryan with a leg kick. 10-9 Baghdasaryan, 20-18 Baghdasaryan.
Baghdasaryan lands a left hand. Souza with a combo and lands a body kick. Souza with a leg kick. Souza with a right hand. Baghdasaryan lands a knee to the body. Baghdasaryan with the jab. Baghdasaryan with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Baghdasaryan with a leg kick. Souza with a knee to the body. Souza with a body kick. They have a wild exchange and Baghdasaryan with a knee to the body. Baghdasaryan lands a couple of kicks. Baghdasaryan with a body kick. They trade punches. They trade late. 10-9 Souza, 29-28 Baghdasaryan.
Official Result- Melsik Baghdasaryan def. Bruno Souza by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Dustin Jacoby (15-5-1, 3-2-1 UFC) vs. John Allan (13-6 1 NC, 0-1 1 NC UFC) Light Heavyweights
Jacoby took this fight on Monday. Jacoby with a leg kick. Jacoby with a leg kick and Allan with another leg kick. Jacoby with a right hand. Allan with a leg kick. Jacoby with a leg kick. Jacoby with another leg kick. Allan with the jab. Allan with a leg kick. Jacoby with an eye poke. They get back to action and Jacoby lands a combo. Jacoby with a combo as Allan misses. Jacoby with another flurry. Jacoby with a body kick as Allan lands a leg kick. Jacoby with a head kick. He lands a leg kick. Allan with a combo. They trade late. 10-9 Jacoby.
Allan with a high kick. Jacoby landing the jab. Allan with a leg kick and lands a left hand. They continue to stand and trade and Jacoby landing the better punches. Allan throws and Jacoby backs up but Allan still landed a left hand. Allan with a combo. Jacoby landing the jab. Jacoby keeps pressing forward and they trade leg kicks. Jacoby with a combo and Allan lands a counter left hand. They both land and Jacoby with an uppercut. Allan with a left hook to the body and we have another eye poke. Jacoby with a leg kick after they get back to action. 10-9 Jacoby, 20-18 Jacoby.
Allan with a leg kick. Allan lands a right hand. Jacoby with a body kick. Allan with a leg kick. Jacoby with a low kick then a body kick. They trade punches. Allan lands a right hand. They both land punches. Jacoby with a high kick. Jacoby with the jab. Allan with a combo. Allan with a combo and a knee. Jacoby with a head kick. Jacoby with the jab and then a right hand. Allan with a left hand. Jacoby with a right hand and a high kick. Jacoby lands late. 10-9 Jacoby, 30-27 Jacoby.
Official Result- Dustin Jacoby def. John Allan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
> Gian Villante (17-13, 7-10 UFC) vs. Chris Barnett (21-7, 0-1 UFC) Heavyweights
Villante announced this would be his retirement fight. They trade kicks to start off. Villante with a body kick. Barnett with a leg kick. Villante with a head kick but Barnett blocks it. Barnett with a leg kick. Barnett with a body kick. Villante with another body kick. Barnett with two leg kicks. Villante with a left hook. Barnett with a left hand. Villante with a leg kick. Barnett with a leg kick. Villante with a kick and Barnett counters with an uppercut. Barnett with a flurry. Barnett with a couple of leg kicks. They clinch and Villante with some knees. 10-9 Barnett.
Villante with a body kick. Barnett with a heavy leg kick. Barnett with a left hand. Villante with a leg kick. Barnett with a leg kick. Villante with a high kick. Barnett with a leg kick. Barnett lands a spinning wheel kick to the head and Villante goes down. Barnett with some big punches and he finishes it. What a finish by Barnett.
Official Result- Chris Barnett def. Gian Villante by TKO (wheel kick & punches) at 2:23 of Round 2
> Ian Garry (7-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Jordan Williams (9-5 1 NC, 0-2 UFC) Welterweights
Williams with a leg kick. Garry with a leg kick and Williams lands a combo. They trade punches. Garry with a high kick. They trade punches and Williams got the better of it. They trade punches. Williams slips on a punch but grabs a single leg and they tie up against the fence. Garry with some knees. Garry with some more knees and lands a few to the head. Garry with a right hand as they break. Garry with a high kick. Williams lands a right hand. Garry lands a right hand that hurts Williams bad and then a couple of other punches knock Williams out cold. What a finish and debut for Garry.
Official Result- Ian Garry def. Jordan Williams by knockout (punches) at 4:59 of Round 1
Shahbazyan with a leg kick. Shahbazyan with another hard leg kick. Imavov with a combo and Shahbazyan lands some left hands. Imavov with a right hand as Shahbazyan lands a leg kick. Shahbazyan with a combo and a leg kick. Shahbazyan lands a left hand and then another leg kick. Imavov with a right hand. They clinch and Shahbazyan pushes it against the fence. Shahbazyan working for the takedown and Imavov lands an elbow. Shahbazyan gets the takedown but Imavov has the guillotine locked in but Shahbazyan escapes and is in the guard of Imavov. Shahbazyan with some shots from the top. They scramble up. The clinch against the fence and Imavov with a knee. Imavov lands a right hand after they break. Imavov with a high kick. Imavov with an elbow as they’re clinched. Close round. 10-9 Shahbazyan.
Shahbazyan with a leg kick as they both miss punches. Shahbazyan with a combo and just misses an uppercut. Imavov with a right hand. They clinch against the fence. Shahbazyan looking for a takedown and Imavov looking for a standing guillotine. Shahbazyan is able to escape and looking for the takedown. Imavov has the guillotine locked in as they go to the mat. Shahbazyan is able to fight it off and Imavov has it locked in again as they stand but Shahbazyan escapes again. Shahbazyan now goes for a guillotine but Imavov gets off to side control. Imavov now in the guard of Shahbazyan. Imavov with a big elbow and Shahbazyan is cut open. Imavov lands another big elbow. They scramble but Imavov remains in side control and has the crucifix position and is landing punches. Imavov with some big elbows. More big elbows and it is stopped. What a finish by Imavov.
Official Result- Nassourdine Imavov def. Edmen Shahbazyan by TKO (elbows) at 4:42 of Round 2
> Phil Hawes (11-2, 3-0 UFC) vs. Chris Curtis (26-8, 0-0 UFC) Middleweights
Hawes with a right hand. Hawes with a body kick then a right hand. Hawes with a body kick and then another. He lands a right hand and then another front kick to the body. Hawes with a combo and Curtis is covering up. Hawes with some big body kicks. Hawes with a hard right hand. Hawes with an elbow then a body kick. Hawes with another right hand. Hawes with the jab. Hawes with another right hand then a knee to the body and another right hand. Hawes with more front kicks to the body. Hawes with a leg kick. They trade body kicks. Curtis lands a left hand and Hawes is rocked. Hawes then stumbles to the mat and the fight is stopped. What a finish and comeback from Curtis.
Official Result- Chris Curtis def. Phil Hawes by knockout (punches) at 4:27 of Round 1
> Al Iaquinta (14-6-1, 9-5 UFC) vs. Bobby Green (27-12-1, 8-7-1 UFC) Lightweights
Green with a leg kick. Iaquinta lands a punch and leg kick. Green with a right hand. Green with a right hook as Iaquinta was throwing. Green lands another right hand. Iaquinta with a right hand. Green drops Iaquinta with a jab followed by a right hand and is on top landing. Green with big punches and it is stopped. What a finish by Green.
Official Result- Bobby Green def. Al Iaquinta by TKO (punches) at 2:25 of Round 1
> Alex Pereira (3-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Andreas Michailidis (13-4, 1-1 UFC) Middleweights
Pereira with a leg kick. Pereira with another leg kick. Michailidis lands a leg kick. Michailidis shoots for a takedown and Pereira defends against the fence. Michailidis is able to get it down. They get to their feet and Michailidis still has the body lock. Michailidis trying to take the back and lands some right hands. Michailidis wearing himself on Pereira. Pereira with a knee to the body. They are broken up by Dan Miragliotta. Michailidis clinches right back up and grabs the fence. Pereira with some knees to the body. Michailidis is grabbing the fence again and eating knees from Pereira. 10-9 Michailidis.
Pereira with a flying knee drops Michailidis and some punches end it. What a finish. That is why he got signed.
Official Result- Alex Pereira def. Andreas Michailidis by TKO (flying knee) at :14 of Round 2
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> Justin Gaethje (#2, 22-3, 5-3 UFC) vs. Michael Chandler (#5, 22-6, 1-1 UFC) Lightweights
They are swinging right away. They trade right hands. Chandler with a leg kick. Gaethje lands the jab. Gaethje with a leg kick. Chandler with a leg kick. They trade right hands. They are swinging away and both tag each other. Chandler with a leg kick. Chandler with a leg kick and Gaethje with a right hand. Gaethje with a leg kick. Chandler with a right hand. Gaethje with a leg kick. Gaethje with a left hook. Chandler with some big right hands. Gaethje with a leg kick. Chandler with a right hand. Gaethje with a left hand. Chandler with a big knee. Chandler teeing off and they are trading against the fence and both hurt each other. Gaethje with a right hand. Gaethje lands an uppercut. Gaethje with a left hand. Chandler with a right hand. Gaethje with a leg kick. Gaethje with an uppercut. They trade uppercuts to the body in the clinch. Chandler tries a takedown but to no avail. Gaethje with a leg kick. They trade punches. Gaethje with a leg kick. What an insane round. 10-9 Chandler.
Gaethje with a right hand and then a leg kick. Chandler with a right hand. They trade in close range. Chandler lands a right hand. Gaethje with a leg kick. Gaethje with a right hand. Gaethje with a leg kick and then an uppercut. Gaethje with a left hand and then drops him with an uppercut and is teeing off on the mat. Chandler tries a takedown to recover. Gaethje landing some punches from the sprawl position. Chandler is bleeding. They get up. Gaethje with a leg kick. Gaethje with the jab. Chandler lands an uppercut. Gaethje with a left hook. Gaethje with an uppercut. Chandler lands a right hand. Gaethje with a leg kick. Gaethje with an uppercut. Gaethje with another hard right hand. Chandler lands to the body. Chandler lands a right hand and there was an eye poke and we have a timeout. They get back and the round ends. 10-8 Gaethje, 19-18 Gaethje.
Gaethje with an inside leg kick. Gaethje with a hard leg kick. Gaethje with a right hand. Chandler lands a right hand. Gaethje with a leg kick. Chandler with some body shots. Chandler with more hard body shots. Gaethje with a leg kick then a combo. Chandler gets a big takedown but Gaethje gets out of it and grabs the back and they stand. They break. Gaethje with the jab. Gaethje with a leg kick. They start getting wild. Chandler with a right hand and then Gaethje stuns Chandler with a right hand. Gaethje with a combo and then lands a right hand. Gaethje with a leg kick. Nothing much happens in the last thirty seconds. Insane fight. 10-9 Gaethje, 29-27 Gaethje.
Official Result- Justin Gaethje def. Michael Chandler by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
> Shane Burgos (#14, 13-3, 6-3 UFC) vs. Billy Quarantillo (16-3, 4-1 UFC) Featherweights
They trade leg kicks. Quarantillo lands some uppercuts in a brief clinch. Quarantillo with another uppercut. Burgos with a right hand. Burgos gets the body lock and Quarantillo is landing to the body. They’re tied up against the fence. Burgos with some foot stomps. They break. Quarantillo with a left hook as Burgos lands a right hand. Quarantillo with the jab. Burgos with a leg kick. They trade right hands. Quarantillo landing the jab. Burgos is pushing forward and lands a leg kick. They trade hard right hands. Quarantillo goes for a takedown as Burgos lands some hammerfists to defend. They break away. Burgos lands a right hand that drops Quarantillo to his knees. Burgos then lands some to the body and works the jab. Burgos with a leg kick. Quarantillo with the jab. Quarantillo goes for a late takedown. Great round. 10-9 Burgos.
They trade hard punches to start the second. Quarantillo misses a spinning back fist but lands a left hand. Burgos lands a right hand. They trade jabs. Burgos lands an inside elbow. They trade hard right hands. Quarantillo with the jab as Burgos lands the inside leg kick. More leg kicks from Burgos as Quarantillo goes for the takedown. Quarantillo has the single leg and is working for it but Burgos defends. They trade to the body before breaking the clinch. They tie back up but break. Quarantillo with a right hand. Burgos with the jab. Burgos lands a right hand. Quarantillo with a right hand. Burgos lands the jab and an elbow and they trade. Quarantillo with the jab as Burgos lands the leg kick. Burgos lands some punches that hurt Quarantillo and he’s starting to tee off. Quarantillo can barely stand and Burgos with a late flurry as Quarantillo survives. 10-9 Burgos, 20-18 Burgos.
They trade to start the third and Quarantillo gets poked in the eye and we have a timeout. Burgos lands a leg kick and Quarantillo throwing punches but not landing. Burgos with a right hand and then a leg kick. Burgos with a hard leg kick and Quarantillo’s legs have given out. Quarantillo going for the takedown but Burgos is defending and landing. Burgos scrambles away. Quarantillo throwing punches as Burgos still lands the leg kick. They clinch against the fence. Burgos lands to the body. They break and Burgos with an elbow. They both swing and land elbows. They trade punches. Quarantillo with a left hand. Quarantillo shoots for a takedown but Burgos defends against the fence. They break and Burgos with a combo. They trade in the clinch. Both land knees and they push it up against the fence. 10-9 Burgos, 30-27 Burgos.
Official Result- Shane Burgos def. Billy Quarantillo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Frankie Edgar (#8, 24-9-1, 18-9-1 UFC) vs. Marlon Vera (#13, 17-7-1, 11-6 UFC) Bantamweights
Edgar lands a right hand. Edgar with a leg kick. Edgar goes for a takedown but Vera defends. Vera with a leg kick. Edgar lands a right hand. They trade in close range. Edgar gets the takedown and Vera is looking for the guillotine. Edgar gets out and is on top and in the half-guard. Edgar continuing to land from the top. Edgar with punches and elbows as he stays in the full guard of Vera. Edgar lands to the body. Vera with some upkicks. Both landing on the ground at the end of the first. 10-9 Edgar.
Both are throwing to start the second and landing. Edgar gets a takedown. Vera with some elbows from the bottom. Edgar in the guard as both look for position. Edgar with some punches from the top. Vera throwing elbows from the bottom. Vera scrambles to his feet. Vera with some left hands. Edgar with a combo. Vera with a body kick. Edgar with a combo and Vera lands a knee. Vera with a knee and Edgar stumbles. Edgar with a leg kick. Edgar with a right hand. Vera with a front kick to the body. Vera with an elbow and Edgar is stumbling. Edgar with a combo. 10-9 Vera, 19-19.
Edgar with a combo. Neither really landing. Vera with a body kick. Vera landing body kicks as Edgar is circling away. Edgar with a combo. They trade in close range. Edgar with a combo. Vera with a left hand and a body kick. Edgar with a takedown and has the back of Vera as they stand. They break and Edgar with a right hand. Vera with a front kick to the jaw and Edgar goes down and it is stopped. Edgar wasn’t happy with it but he was out and the stoppage was justified. What a finish by Vera.
Official Result- Marlon Vera def. Frankie Edgar by knockout (front kick) at 3:50 of Round 3
> Rose Namajunas (C, 10-4, 8-3 UFC) vs. Zhang Weili (#1, 21-2, 5-1 UFC) UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
Weili with a leg kick. Weili with another leg kick. She lands another. Namajunas with some leg kicks as she lands a combo. Namajunas with a leg kick. Namajunas with a right hand and Weili lands a leg kick. Weili gets a takedown. She gets in the half-guard and lands to the body. Weili lands some right hands as she postures up. They scramble up. Weili with a body kick on the break. Weili lands a head kick as Namajunas lands a leg kick. Weili with a leg kick. Namajunas with a right hand and Weili goes down briefly from a slip. 10-9 Weili.
Namajunas with the jab. Weili with the leg kick as Namajunas is looking for an opening. Namajunas with a leg kick and a combo. Weili with a right hand. Both looking for openings still. Weili lands a left hand that stumbles Namajunas. They trade kicks and Weili catches the leg and gets a takedown. Namajunas with an upkick. Weili gets into her guard. They get to their feet and Namajunas gets a takedown. Namajunas with a big right hand from the top as the round ends. 10-9 Weili, 20-18 Weili.
Both looking for openings early in the third. Both throwing but neither able to land. Weili with a body kick. They trade and Namajunas lands a leg kick and Weili slips to the mat, and Namajunas lands a massive right hand as Weili gets up. They clinch against the fence. Namajunas with some shoulder strikes. They break and Weili with a leg kick. Namajunas with a combo. Weili with a leg kick and lands a hard left hook. Weili gets a takedown. She gets the back of Namajunas. They scramble and Weili gets the mount late. 10-9 Weili, 30-27 Weili.
Weili with a combo as both land leg kicks. Namajunas with a right hand. They go to the mat for a moment but Namajunas kicked her way up and they trade punches. They go back down and Weili has the back and is looking for the choke. Namajunas scrambles out and onto the top and is in the half-guard. Namajunas gets back into the guard. Namajunas stands and tries to pass but gets back into Weili’s guard. Namajunas trying for the ground-and-pound but Weili defending well off her back. Namajunas ends the round on top. 10-9 Namajunas, 39-37 Weili.
Weili with some leg kicks. They trade right hands. Namajunas throws a right hand and turns it into a takedown. Namajunas looking to improve but Weili keeps her in the guard. Namajunas with some punches from the top. Namajunas postures up trying to improve as she’s staying busy and lands some shots. Namajunas with some right hands from the top. Namajunas with a nice right hand as she stands. Namajunas lands a nice left hand as she gets back into the guard. Close fight overall, scores will be interesting. 10-9 Namajunas, 48-47 Weili.
Official Result- Rose Namajunas def. Zhang Weili by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 49-46) to retain the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
Usman with the jab. Usman with another jab. Covington with a leg kick. Covington goes for a takedown but Usman rolls over and grabs the neck and they get up and break. Covington with a body kick. They trade punches. Usman lands a right hand and Covington with a left hand. Usman gets a takedown and has the back for a moment and lands a right hand as they scramble up. Usman with a right hand and Covington is cut under his right eye. They trade in close range. Close round. 10-9 Usman.
Usman lands a left hook. Covington with a leg kick after he misses all of his punches. They clinch for a moment and Covington with a knee and Usman lands a right hand after they break. Usman lands an uppercut. Covington with a leg kick. Usman with a body kick. Usman with a left hook. Covington tries a takedown but Usman has the shoulders. Covington working for the takedown against the fence. Usman with shoulder strikes. They break. Usman with a front kick and then a leg kick. Usman with a right hand. Usman drops Covington with a left hand. Covington gets up and Usman drops him again and Covington goes for a takedown. Usman lands some punches from the top and huge shots to the body late. 10-9 Usman, 20-18 Usman.
Usman hunting Covington down in the third. Covington lands a combo. Usman with a right hand and then lands the jab. Covington throws a kick that Usman blocks. Covington tries a takedown but Usman easily defends and lands some body shots. They get up and Usman lands a left hand. Usman with a combo. Usman with a body kick. They trade in close range. Usman with a straight right hand. Usman with a left hook to the body. Covington lands some good punches. Covington gets a takedown and has the back late. 10-9 Usman, 30-27 Usman.
Usman lands a right hand. Covington lands but then follows up sloppily. Covington lands a nice jab. Usman with a body kick. They trade jabs. Covington lands a hard punch and Usman counters with a right hand. Usman lands a hard right hand right after Covington lands. Usman with a body shot. Usman with a left hand and follows it with a right. Covington with a body kick and lands some good follow-up shots. Covington lands a left hand. Covington tries a takedown. They trade on the break. Usman with a hard right hand late. 10-9 Covington, 39-37 Usman.
Covington with a body kick. Usman with a right to the body. Usman lands a left jab. Usman with a right hand. They both land in close range. Covington lands and shoots for a takedown but Usman defends. They get up. Usman with the jab. Usman with a high kick. Usman with a right to the body and just misses a left hand. Covington just misses a head kick as Usman was slipping. They’re clinched against the fence. Usman with a body shot as they break. Usman with the jab. Usman with a right hand. We have a timeout for an eye poke by Usman. They get back to action and Covington with a body kick. Usman with a heavy kick. Close fight. 10-9 Covington, 48-47 Usman.
Official Result- Kamaru Usman def. Colby Covington by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to retain the UFC Welterweight Championship
A rematch between two heated rivals is being targeted for the UFC’s planned return to Madison Square Garden this fall.
Dana White told ESPN Monday night that welterweight champion Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington II is a go for November’s UFC 268 — an event they are trying to hold in New York City.
Usman (19-1) defeated Covington by fifth round TKO in a competitive December 2019 clash at UFC 245, a fight that saw Usman break Covington’s jaw. Usman has four successful title defense since taking the title from Tyron Woodley in March 2019 and last defeated Jorge Masvidal in an April rematch.
Covington (16-2) has only fought once since the Usman loss, picking up a dominant fifth round TKO win over Woodley in September 2020 after Woodley inured his rib.
This would be the UFC’s fifth trip to MSG dating back to 2017 with all shows taking place in November. They were unable to run there last year due to the pandemic.
