UFC 268, set for the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York on the morning of Sunday 7 November 2021, will feature a double bill of title rematches, as Kamaru Usman faces Colby Covington and Rose Namajunas takes on Weili Zhang.
Namajunas (10-4) defeated Zhang (21-2) via a first-round knockout to claim the women’s strawweight championship at UFC 261 back in April of this year.
Chinese star Zhang, who has teamed up with former flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo in preparation for this clash, has steeled herself for a more aggressive approach in this co-main event and believes the pressure of holding the belt will affect Namajunas.
“After the fight everybody was surprised by the result. Then Dana [White, UFC president] said there might be a rematch,” explained Zhang.
“The mentality I had before was to go there and learn from each other. Then I went and found out it wasn't like that at all.
“So I think I need to take it really seriously now, see the fight like a war. In there, you can't be distracted even for 0.01 seconds, whether it's just before the fight or in camp.
“Last time, there were all kinds of factors. I think this time I would focus more on myself instead of watching the outside stuff.
“After our first fight, my coach kept telling me that the next will mostly be about mental game. At this level, we're all close technically.
“It's all about who is more mentally steady. I think for the rematch, her psychological pressure might be greater than mine.”
The main event sees Usman (16-1) come up against Covington (16-2) for the welterweight title. The Nigerian-American defeated ‘Chaos’ via TKO in the fifth round of their epic championship bout in December 2019, and has since successfully defended the belt a further three times, defeating Jorge Masvidal (twice) and Gilbert Burns.
Usman, in the build up to the fight, has revealed his respect for Covington’s abilities in the Octagon – even if the latter is renowned, and even reviled, for being one of MMA’s true ‘heels’.
“I’m no hater. I give props where props are due,” said Usman. “I think Colby probably is, I would put him in the top-15 welterweights of all time, as far as fighter-wise and skill-wise, the way that he fights. You may not like him personally, which I really don’t, but as far as skill-wise, he’s a very good fighter. A very, very good fighter.”
The main card opens with a bantamweight bout between Frankie Edgar and Marlon Vera, followed by Shane Burgos v Billy Quarantillo in a featherweight thriller, and then Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler will both be looking to put themselves back in the lightweight title picture with victory.
UFC 268 - Main Card
- Main event: Welterweight championship: Kamaru Usman v Colby Covington
- Co-main: Women’s strawweight championship: Rose Namajunas v Zhang Weili
- Lightweight: Justin Gaethje v Michael Chandler
- Featherweight: Shane Burgos v Billy Quarantillo
- Bantamweight: Frankie Edgar v Marlon Vera
* Stream all the action on SS Action and Variety 3 on Sunday, November 7 *
* Prelims from 2am
* Main Card from 4am
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