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UFC 268 Main Card Preview And Predictions

UFC 268

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

UFC 268
Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

UFC 268 Main Card Preview And Predictions

The Madison Square Garden card is upon us yet again. Year after year, Dana White and the UFC visit The Big Apple every November and bring with a massive card, and this year is no different! Two title fights, a colossal opening bout on the main card, and bonafide action throughout. The main event is a grudge match between two bitter rivals in a rematch of their December 2019 clash that saw Kamaru Usman TKO Colby Covington in the 5th and final round. This promises to be one of the best cards of the year and I am beyond stoked to preview and predict this fight for you! Without further ado, here are Vendetta Sports Media’s official UFC 268 Predictions.

Quick Prelims Predictions

  • Ian Garry proves he’s a force to reckon with with a quick finish of Jordan Williams
  • #11 Edmen Shahbazyan says don’t put me as an underdog again with an upset win over Nassourdine Imavov
  • I went back and forth, but I will lean towards the debuting Chris Curtis over Phillip Hawes
  • Ragin’ Al Iaquinta reminds folks he isn’t just a Real Estate Agent with a win over Bobby Green
  • Alex Pereria shows why he was a heavy favorite over Andreas Michailidis with a finish

#2 Justin Gaethje vs. #5 Michael Chandler (Lightweight)

Are you kidding? They decide to throw us a potential fight of the night candidate at us right out of the gate on PPV? Thank you very much, Papa Dana. Staring off these UFC 268 Predictions strong.

Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler is a fight fans’ dream. You have Gaethje who only knows one thing: pure violence. Gaethje always pushes the pace and wants to bring the fight to his opponent, even if it means putting himself in harm’s way. Gaethje hasn’t fought since October of 2020 where he challenged Khabib Nurmagomedov for the Lightweight Championship. Having won 4 out of his last 5, a win here would certainly put him right back in the driver’s seat to challenge for the 155lb belt.

Standing across from him this Saturday Night is a man who will never back down from a slugfest and is known to willingly stand and bang as well in Michael Chandler. Chandler made his debut in the UFC in January of this year where he finished Dan Hooker in the first round, cementing himself in the upper echelon of the Lightweight division. A loss to now champion Charles Oliveira for said championship derailed the hype train a little, but the former multi-time Bellator Champion has delivered on this stage before. With that being said, I think the big fight experience helps Chandler, along with his world-class wrestling, get his hand raised after what starts out as a war and ends in a bonafide wrestling match. Plus, I have bet against Chandler before and that did not go well. Chandler via unanimous decision.

#14 Shane Burgos vs. Billy Quarantillo (Featherweight)

Shane Burgos and Billy Quarantillo are up next in what could be a stepping stone kind of fight for both men. Both Burgos and Quarantillo are towards the bottom of the rankings for the division and will look to make a name for themselves on one of the biggest stages they can both on PPV and in Madison Square Garden. Burgos has dropped two straight, but both were the fight of the night honors which means he’s been in these fights. Quarantillo has finished all but four of his fights so he is one to watch to just walking down his opponent and be all action. I think that Quarantillo could drop this fight because Burgos is the more polished striker, but then again Quarantillo is a known Verdict user (the obvious way to judge fights)…it’s tempting, but I will ride with Burgos. Burgos via 3rd round TKO.

#8 Frankie Edgar vs. #13 Marlon Vera (Bantamweight)

The bangers continue here as this could be a “passing of the guard” kind of fight between Frankie Edgar and Marlon Vera. Vera is coming off both the biggest win and the most disappointing loss of his career (win over Sean O’Malley, a loss against Jose Aldo). 2-2 in his last 4, there is no real telling which Vera we will get. You look at Edgar, a former UFC Lightweight Champion, who has the pedigree and the name recognition and think this should be a cakewalk. However, Edgar has dropped 3 of his last 4…those losses? Max Holloway, Chan Sung Jong, and Cory Sandhagen. Those are some absolute studs. Even at age 40, I believe that Edgar tries to make one last run at a championship and rights the ship with a masterclass against Vera. Edgar via unanimous decision.

(C) Rose Namajunas vs. #1 Zhang Weili (UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship)

In a rematch of their April clash, Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili run it back for the Women’s Strawweight Championship. Weili has to understand going into this fight that the striking and pure punching power possessed by Namajunas is nothing to mess with. She has spent a fair amount of this camp training with Henry Cejudo to work on her wrestling, which has been known to be an achilles heel of hers. It will be fascinating to see what adjustments the former champion makes. She was once viewed as the future of the division and she will surely look to regain her throne this Saturday.

However, she was getting outclassed by Namajunas in the first fight before the finish and I just can’t see this outcome changing this time around. Rose Namajunas is as well-rounded a fighter as I have seen in quite some time, and only at the age of 29, she will only get better. I can still hear Daniel Cormier yelling “Thug Rose!” when she won the title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk during their MSG fight from 2017. Good times. Namajunas might not get a first-round finish, but she will get a finish regardless and walk out of The Garden still the champion. Namajunas via 3rd round submission.

(C) Kamaru Usman vs. #1 Colby Covington (UFC Welterweight Championship)

Colby Covington…is next in line for a title shot I guess by default. I’m sorry, but I can’t really give a preview for a fight that I am 100% confident in that a fighter is going to lose. Usually, with my predictions, I try to be partial, but for this fight on my UFC 268 predictions, I just can’t. I will give him his flowers, he rebounded from his TKO loss to Kamaru Usman with a dominant performance against Tyron Woodley…who hasn’t been the same since 2018. That win carries little to no merit. Kamaru Usman is one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters waling planet earth, and with how much he is progressing in his skillset and getting better with every fight, I have a hard time seeing this fight go different than their December 2019 fight. I think Usman utilizes more of a wrestling gameplan or at least feinting the takedowns to open up his boxing. A finish wouldn’t surprise me, but I think he will make Covington suffer for 25 minutes and establish himself as the greatest Welterweight of all time. Usman via unanimous decision.

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