UFC 268 wrapped up last night (6th November) and this classic card has created so many possible storylines and fights in the future. We’ll go through who everyone who fought on the card should fight next.
Fights to Make After UFC 268
Kamaru Usman – def. C. Covington – Leon Edwards
This is not normal, to say that the champion should defend his belt next against a guy who’s already booked for December, but this is hypothetical and if Leon Edwards gets through Jorge Masvidal next month – which skill for skill he should be able to then It’s a no brainer. Edwards will be on an 11-fight unbeaten streak and will have been waiting for a title shot for over two years. This fight is meant to happen even though they’ve already competed. That was in 2015 though, when both were nowhere near the rankings and were very young in their careers. This fight is more about Leon deserving the shot more than anything.
Colby Covington – def. by K. Usman – Jorge Masvidal
Covington fought very well after the second round on Saturday night and proved that he has tremendous heart and that he’s currently #2 at 170 with no debate. Regardless, he has two losses to the champ now and so what better than a fight against a guy that also has two losses to the champ? That’s what you have in Jorge Masvidal. The Usman-Edwards booking is only possible if Edwards beats Masvidal, but I think that even if Jorge wins on December 11, the fight with Covington is the fight to make. These two hate each other and want to fight so badly because Covington thinks Masvidal is a snake for events that went down at Covington’s old gym and Masvidal’s current gym, American Top Team. Masvidal hates Covington because he knows that Covington’s personality change in 2017 was all a gimmick and he knows that Covington was a really nice kid before then. This fight needs to happen because it makes sense in the landscape but also because we need to see closure,
Rose Namajunas – def. Z. Weili – Carla Esparza
Namajunas showed some of the most grit and determination she’s ever shown in a fight on Saturday because even though she lost the first 2 rounds and some people had her losing the third too, she stayed composed and dominantly won the last two rounds into a decision win. The only fight that makes sense right now is Carla Esparza. Esparza beat Namajunas back in 2014 for the inaugural strawweight title at the time and since then, both fighters went on two very different paths only to end up in the same place 7 years later. Esparza had a rough road back to the top, whereas Namajunas became champ three years later and became one of the biggest stars in WMMA. Esparza has fought well recently though, going on a five-fight streak and earning her shot at the title. What works out so well for her is that Namajunas has a loss to her so there’s a reason for the UFC to want that fight and Namajunas wants it so badly. It makes all the sense in the world.
Zhang Weili – def. by R. Namajunas – Joanna Jedrzejczyk
The battle of the rematches in the UFC strawweight division is about to take place. Jedrzejczyk and Zhang both have two losses to Namajunas now and they both need to get back on track. So that makes it make sense anyway, but when you add the factor of their first fight being one of the best fights in the history of this sport then it’s a no-brainer to run it back. Back in March of 2020 Zhang defended her title for the first time against Jedrzejczyk in a fight that I still believe Jedrzejczyk won but it doesn’t matter because the fight was an instant classic and it’ll be talked about for the years to come. It’d be great to get closure and to get a rematch of one of the best fights we’ve ever seen. Jedrzejczyk also desperately needs to be booked, as she hasn’t fought since their first fight and has recently been removed from the rankings for inactivity. Zhang needs it as badly as Jedrzejczyk though because she needs to prove that she’s still #2 at 115 at least.
OTHERS ON THE CARD
Marlon Vera – def. F. Edgar – Marlon Moraes
Frankie Edgar – def. by M. Vera – Casey Kenney
Shane Burgos – def. B. Quarantillo – Sodiq Yusuff
Billy Quarantillo – def. by S. Burgos – Lerone Murphy
Justin Gaethje – def. M. Chandler – Winner of Oliveira/Poirier
Michael Chandler – def. by J. Gaethje – Conor McGregor
Alex Pereira – def. A. Michailidis – Krzysztof Jotko
Andreas Michailidis – def. by A. Pereira – Dalcha Lungiambula
Bobby Green – def. A. Iaquinta – Drew Dober
Al Iaquinta – def. by B. Green – Nasrat Haqparast
Chris Curtis – def. P. Hawes – Nicholas Dalby
Phil Hawes – def. by C. Curtis – Puna Soriano
Nassourdine Imavov – def. E. Shahbazyan – Andre Muniz
Edmen Shahbazyan – def. by N. Imavov – Julian Marquez
Ian Garry – def. J. Williams – Danny Roberts
Jordan Williams – def. by I. Garry – Song Kenan
Chris Barnett – def. G. Villante – Phillipe Lins
Gian Villante – def. C. Barnett – Retired
Dustin Jacoby – def. J. Allan – Nicolau Negumereanu
John Allan – def. by D. Jacoby – Aleksa Camur
Melsik Baghdasaryan – def. B. Souza – Lando Vannata
Bruno Souza – def. by M. Baghdasaryan – Herbert Burns
Ode Osbourne – def. C. Vergara – Tyson Nam
CJ Vergara – def. by O. Osbourne – Francisco Figueiredo
Let us know what you think about the matchmaking here!
