UFC 268 Results, Live Coverage And Discussion: Usman And Namajunas Retain Titles In Thrilling Rematches

Welcome to Fightful‘s results, live coverage and discussion for UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2.

We will bring you full, fight-by-fight coverage of the main card, plus quick results for tonight’s preliminary bouts. Scroll down to the Disqus boards below and chat with fellow MMA fans during the event.

Results

Main Card (Pay-Per-View, 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT)

• Kamaru Usman (C) def. (#1) Colby Covington via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) — UFC Welterweight Championship
• Rose Namajunas (C) def. (#1) Weili Zhang via split-decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) — UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
• (#13) Marlon Vera def. (#8) Frankie Edgar via KO (3:50, R3)
• (#14) Shane Burgos def. Billy Quarantillo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• (#2) Justin Gaethje def. (#5) Michael Chandler via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Prelims (ESPN+, 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT)

• Alex Pereira def. Andreas Michailidis via KO (0:18, R2)
• Bobby Green def. Al Iaquinta via TKO (2:25, R1)
• Chris Curtis def. Phil Hawes via KO (4:27, R1)
• Nassourdine Imavov def. (#11) Edmen Shahbazyan via TKO (4:52, R2)
• Ian Garry def. Jordan Williams via KO (4:59, R1)
• Chris Barnett def. Gian Villante via KO (2:23, R2)
• Dustin Jacoby def. John Allan via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Melsik Baghdasaryan def. Bruno Souza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Ode Osbourne def. CJ Vergara via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Play-by-Play

Kamaru Usman (C) (19-1) vs. (#1) Colby Covington (16-2)

Round One – Covington opens with a kick to the body that just misses, Usman responds with pair of left jabs that both land. Covington shoots for a takedown, gets it, Usman scrambles, ends up with back control, grabs Covington’s neck but Covington is able to scramble back to his feet. Usman lands a straight right, Covington fires back with a straight left that also lands, Usman dives in, scoops and dumps Covington onto the mat but Covington scrambles back up and circles back to the center of the octagon. Covington with a straight left that lands, throws another that also lands, Usman goes for the clinch but is met by a straight right from Covington, Usman lands a straight left and follows it up a left a hook that finds it’s home and the buzzer sounds to end the opening frame.

Round Two – Usman lands a left hook to open the round and lands another that stuns Covingtonbut the challenger fires back with a straight right that lands, goes for a takedown but is stymied by Usman, who fires off a straight right on the break that lands flush across the bridge Of Covington’s nose. Covington lands a pair of lead leg kicks, a right hook and dives in for a level change, gets Usman pressed against the cage where he eats a pair of shoulder strokes and is forced to let the champion out of the clinch. Usman lands a heavy left hook that opens up a cut on the right eye of Covington but the challenger comes right back with a right hook that lands, Usman sends Covington to the mat with a straight left, Covington scrambles back to his feet but gets dropped again with another left, Usman gets the back, Covington sprawls, Usman starts unloading to the body but the buzzer sounds to potentially save Covington from being finished.

Round Three – Covington looks to be at least mostly recovered to begin the third round and throws a high kick that’s mostly blocked by the champion. Usman fires off a 1-2 that narrowly misses, Covington just misses a left hook but lands a straight left immediately after then shoots for a takedown, Usman stuffs the attempt and begins to unload with some ground and pound before Covington is able to scramble back to his feet. Covington with a straight left that hits it’s mark, Usman fires back with a pair of left jabs, Covington catches Usman’s attention with a straight right that lands flush, Usman counters with a straight left that forces a smile out of Covington, who latches onto Usman’s back, drags him to the mat, Usman gets back up just to be dragged back to the mat but gets right back up as the buzzer sounds to send this one to championship rounds.

Round Four – Covington comes out firing with a combination that mostly lands, follows it up with a head kick that just misses and lands a straight left before missing a massive uppercut. Covington, this time lands the uppercut, hits the front end of a 1-2, Usman hits a straight left, Covington goes for the takedown but is denied by Usman, Covington drills Usman with a straight left and follows it up with a kick to the body of Usman that catches the champion’s attention but the challenger eats a counter left from Usman, Covington stuns Usman with an uppercut, Usman lands a left, Covington wobbles the champion with a straight left, Usman doesn’t hold back and clips Covington with a right hand, Covington shoots for a takedown, Usman grabs the neck, Covington shoves Usman to the fence and gets inside with a clinch before hitting a left hook on the break. Usman lands a jab and a straight right at the buzzer and both men stare each other down in the center of the octagon before going back to their corners to prepare for the fifth and final round.

Round Five – This heated rivalry has reached it’s tenth round and the fifth of the evening and Covington comes right back out as the aggressor and lands a straight right. Covington hits Usman with a straight left and follows it up with an uppercut that also lands, Usman fires back with a straight left but Covington answers with a right hook, dives for a takedown, Usman sprawls and grabs the neck but Covington is able to scramble back to his feet. Usman just misses an overhand right and Covington drops Usman to one knee with a right hook then dives in for a level change and presses Usman against the fence. In the clinch, Covington works a few shots in, controls the wrists but Usman powers out and circles back to the center of the octagon. Covington misses a head kick and Usman accidentally poked him in the eye which causes a brief stoppage from referee Dan Miragliotta. The doctor quickly checks and clears Covington to continue and we get back to the action. Covington misses a head kick then blocks a counter head kick from Usman and the buzzer sounds. Both men stare each other down in the center of the octagon before shockingly enough, shaking each other’s hands and this one is headed to the judges’ scorecards.

Result: Kamaru Usman (C) def. (#1) Colby Covington via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)

Rose Namajunas (C) (11-4) vs. (#1) Weili Zhang (21-2)

Round One – Zhang opens with a lead leg kick, Namajunas lands a left hook, Zhang responds with a head kick that just misses. Namajunas lands a right, Zhang fires off a pair of leg kicks and perfectly times a takedown, Namajunas scrambles but Zhang’s able to settle in top control, Namajunas continues to scramble, Zhang starts lands some heavy right hands or ground and pound, Namajunas scrambles to her feet, Zhang trips her back to the mat but both back off and circle back to the center of the octagon where Zhang throws a high kick that’s partially blocked by Namajunas. Zhang loads up on an overhand right but misses and follows it up with amother kick to the lead leg, Namajunas sends Zhang to one knee with a left hook, that’s helped by a bit of a slip but the buzzer sounds to end the opening frame.

Round Two – Round number two opens with Zhang picking right up where she left off and continues the attack to the champion’s lead leg. Zhang throws a spinning back kick but to no avail, she eats a straight right from Namajunas for her troubles but she counters with yet another kick to the lead leg of Namajunas. Zhang lands yet another kick to Namajunas’ lead leg then she wobbled Namajunas with a right hook, catches a kick and tosses Namajunas to the mat where she eats an up-kick from the champion but she’s able to gain top control and begins to fire off some heavy right hands, Namajunas wants no part of it and scrambles back to her feet where she ends up tripping Zhang to the mat and gains top control befor quickly transitioning to side control but the buzzer sounds before she can work much offense in.

Round Three – Zhang continues to eat at the lead leg then switches it up with a kick to the body of Namajunas. Both aren’t in any rush to throw anything wild which forces a bit of a slower pace for the first-half of the round but Zhang begins to work the body with another kick and just misses a kick to Namajunas’ lead leg, Namajunas drops Zhang with a right hand but Zhang quickly gets back to her feet and latches onto Namajunas with the clinch against the fence where she lands a pair of shoulder strikes before circling back to the center of the octagon where she lands yet another brutal kick to the lead leg of the champion and follows it up with a left hook that stuns Namajunas, Zhang shoots in for a double leg and she secures the takedown. Namajunas flips to her stomach, Zhang gets the back, Namajunas rolls around, Zhang gets full mount after a great sweep and lands a heavy right at the buzzer that’ll send this one into championship rounds.

Round Four – Zhang opens the frame with a heavy kick to the lead leg of Namajunas, fires off a 1-2 that lands, Namajunas counters with a straight right, Zhang puts together another 1-2 that both hit it’s mark, Namajunas begins to find the range with a right hook but Zhang trips her up to the mat, gets the back but Namajunas gains top control after an excellent sweep and fires off a heavy right hand from the top. A few scrambles end up nullifying then position and Namajunas remains on top for the final 30+ seconds but nothing comes of it, the horn sounds and this one is headed to a fifth and final round.

Round Five – Five minutes or less remains to determine the UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion in an extremely close fight thus far. Zhang opens with a kick to the lead leg, Namajunas fires back with a straight right but Zhang ducks out of danger and lands yet another lead leg kick but Namajunas lands a perfectly timed takedown seemingly out of nowhere and quickly transitions to side control with plenty of time to work but ends up in full guard after a scramble by Zhang, Namajunas gets right back to side control but Zhang is again able to force her back to full guard. Namajunas looks for some separating, Zhang teases a triangle-choke, Namajunas stands up and dives back down with right hand that partially lands. Zhang starts throwing elbows and up kicks from the bottom, Namajunas avoids most of the shots and dives right back down with another right hand but this one just misses, the 10-second warning sounds, both women start throwing bombs and the buzzer sounds to send this one to the judges’ scorecards.

Result: Rose Namajunas (C) def. (#1) Weili Zhang via split-decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)

(#8) Frankie Edgar (23-9-1) vs. (#13) Marlon Vera (17-7-1)

Round One – Edgar opens with a flurry and fakes a level change before going back up top and landing a right hook on Vera. Edgar dives in for a perfectly timed takedown and lands it, Vera grabs ahold of the neck but Edgar quickly slides out and ends up on top control. Edgar stands and starts shoving Vera to the mat to force some separation, finally finds it and starts to land some ground and pound as Vera lands a few elbows from the bottom. Edgar starts working the body but Vera remains active from his back with the up-elbows, Edgar stands but Vera lands a pair of up-kicks that force Edgar to dive back down in top control, where he lands a slicing elbow across the bridge of Vera’s nose. Edgar rides the final 10-seconds of the round in top control, the buzzer sounds and this one will see a second round.

Round Two – Vera opens with a body kick that finds it’s mark and drills Edgar with a right hook and follows it up with another kick to the body that lands. Edgar shoots for a takedown, Vera quickly pushes him off but Edgar shoots right back in and perfectly times another takedown and ends up on top control. Vera starts popping multiple up kicks to a now standing Edgar, who wants no part of it and dives back in and settles in on top, Vera scrambles and ends up on his feet and lands a left hook on Edgar, who responds with a slick 1-2 that lands. Vera sends Edgar to one a knee with a flying knee, and starts to tee off on Edgar, who gets on his bike and looks to have recovered for the time-being. Vera lands another body kick, drills Edgar with an elbow that sends him to a knee but Edgar is able to avoid the finish, the buzzer sounds and this one is headed to the third and final frame.

Round Three – Edgar opens with a hook to the body of Vera, who returns fire with a left uppercut that just misses but lands a stabbing front kick to the body, follows it up with a side kick to the body and then stuffs a takedown attempt from Edgar. Another front kick to the body lands for Vera, Edgar’s mouthpiece goes flying out of his mouth, a break is called by referee Todd Anderson for him to retrieve it and we’re quickly back to the action. Edgar dives right in for a takedown, gets it but Vera immediately scrambles back to his feet, Vera blasts him with a front kick to the head that folds Edgar, Vera lands a couple follow up shots and that’s it. Statement win for Chito Vera!

Result: (#13) Marlon Vera def. (#8) Frankie Edgar via KO (3:50, R3)

(#14) Shane Burgos (13-3) vs. Billy Quarantillo (16-3)

Round One – Quarantillo opens the action with a left hand, follows it up with a blistering quick 1-2 and Burgos immediately latches on to get the clinch, pushes Quarantillo to the fence but Quarantillo quickly gets out of the hold and circled back to the center of the octagon where he lands a pair of jabs and follows it up with an uppercut that also finds a home. Burgos is now leaking blood from his nose and Quarantillo lands a right directly in the bridge of Burgos’ bloodied up nose. Quarantillo shoots for a takedown and pushes Burgos to the cage, Burgos reverses momentum, lands a pair of knees to the body in the clinch and backs off and opens up with a leg kick and an overhand right then he drops Quarantillo to one knee with a straight right, continues to eat up the lead leg, drills Quarantillo with a hook to the body, Quarantillo latches on for the clinch but the buzzer sounds to end the opening frame.

Round Two – Burgos immediately stuns Quarantillo with a straight right, Quarantillo responds with a 1-2 that both land, Burgos hits a step-in right elbow that slices across the cheek of Quarantillo, who lands a pair of jabs but eats a lead leg kick from Burgos, Quarantillo dives in for a takedown but Burgos trips him up with a perfectly timed lead leg kick, clinches Quarantillo against the cage and lands a knee while inside before drilling Quarantillo with a right hook to the body on the break. Burgos continues to eat at Quarantillo’s lead leg as the latter goes for a takedown but is stuffed by Burgos, who lands a left hook and follows it up with an elbow that finds it’s home. Quarantillo continues to land the jab but Burgos responds with yet another lead leg kick. Quarantillo wobbles Burgos with a straight right but Burgos stuns him with a straight right of his own, Burgos unloads with a barrage of shots but Quarantillo is perhaps saved by the bell as the horn sounds to send this one to a third and final round.

Round Three – (unavailable)

Result: (#14) Shane Burgos def. Billy Quarantillo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

(#2) Justin Gaethje (22-3) vs. (#5) Michael Chandler (22-6)

Round One – Gaethje opens with a heavy calf kick that lands, Chandler responds with a left hook that just misses as the crowd starts going bananas for Gaethje. Chandler lands a lead leg kick of his own but eats another from Gaethje, Chandler blasts Gaethje with a left hand, Gaethje counters with an uppercut, hits another, Chandler drills Gaethje with an overhand right, Gaethje wobbles Chandler with a straight left but Chandler sends Gaethje stumbling with a straight right, Chandler throws a flying knee, just missed but drills Gaethje with a 1-2 that wobbles him but Gaethje returns fire with a straight left that lands, Gaethje lands a 1-2 at the horn to end one of the best rounds of the year.

Round Two – Not quite sure how these two can follow up that opening frame but here we go. Gaethje opens the action with yet another massive calf kick. Gaethje drops Chandler with a straight right and goes in for the finish, Gaethje snatches Chandler’s neck, Chandler scrambles and the pair get back to the feet where Chandler lands an uppercut, Gaethje returns fire with a lead uppercut that stuns Chandler, who counters with a superman punch. Chandler’s on the wrong end of an overhand right from Gaethje and the buzzer sounds to send this one to the third and final round.

Round Three – Gaethje opens the frame with another heavy calf kick, just missed a straight right, Chandler lands a right and follows it up with a leg kick, Gaethje slips in a left hook to the body, Chandler throws a flurry of hooks to the body, blasts Gaethje with an uppercut to the body, Gaethje responds with a straight left that stops Chandler in his tracks, Gaethje lands yet another whipping lead leg kick which causss Chandler to shoot for a takedown, he gets it but Gaethje scrambles out, takes the back, Chandler now scrambled and the pair end up on their feet in the center of the octagon, where Gaethje lands another heavy calf kick. Chandler starts unloading with combinations, Gaethje wobbles him with a left out of nowhere, Chandler returns fire with a straight right, Gaethje wobbles him again and follows it up with about the 300th calf kick of the fight as we somehow approach the final minute of the fight. Chandler whiffs on a wild spinning front kick, throws another one that also misses, Gaethje fakes a flying knee at the buzzer and this one somehow is headed to the judges’ scorecards. What a fight!

Result: (#2) Justin Gaethje def. (#5) Michael Chandler via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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