UFC 268 Usman vs Covington 2 – LIVE RESULTS: Usman WINS thriller, Gaethje and Chandler in hospital – latest reaction
KAMARU USMAN overcame Colby Covington yet again in a thrilling rematch to headline UFC 268.
Usman retained his welterweight title as he out-pointed rival Covington at New York's Madison Square Garden. Though the champ did not have it all his way and was staggered a couple of times by the challenger.
On a STACKED card, Justin Gaethje defeated Michael Chandler in an absolute war. Both men were taken to hospital afterwards.
Follow ALL the reaction with our live blog below…
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- Justin Lawrence
DUST UP
Colby Covington has called out Dustin Poirer to get in the ring following his UFC 268 loss to Kamara Usman.
Covington turned his attention to Poirer who he referred to as 'trash' before verbally attacking his family as a potential next opponent.
He said: “He’s another guy, it makes sense for that fight. He talks so reckless in the media.
"How are these guys not going to be held accountable? He said, ‘Hey, it’s on sight. When I see Colby it’s on sight.’
"Dustin, name the site let’s do it, man. Bring that little jezebel of a wife. Bring that little kid you use as a prop and let’s get this going, man.
"I’m holding people accountable in the UFC, they are not going to be able to talk reckless and not being able to step in the cage.
"If he doesn’t want to fight, he loses his street cred too and he’s nothing more than Louisiana swamp trash."
- Justin Lawrence
WHEELS UP
Conor McGregor will return to action in a charity wheelchair boxing match against impressionist Al Foran.
The UFC legend has been recovering from the broken leg he suffered during his loss to Dustin Poirier back in July at UFC 264.
He had been due to face Foran in September but was forced to postpone on doctor’s orders.
But the 33-year-old has now confirmed the fundraiser for the Irish Wheelchair Association is on and even indulged in some trash-talking with his pal Foran.
The Notorious wrote on Twitter: “Today we start preparation for my wheelchair boxing match in aid of @IrishWheelchair.
“Real excited to get in and have some fun / bust the eyeball of celebrity impersonator, Al Foran. Al you can be Pacino! Joe Pesci! Even big TyFury! But you still just fat Al from Tallaght to me.”
- Justin Lawrence
ATLAS POINT
Teddy Atlas has compared Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler’s UFC 268 clash to Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali's 'Thrilla In Manila' fight.
The only difference between the two bouts was where they were held, according to Atlas.
He said: “I thought that I was in Manila without the humidity. I was in Manila, it was [Joe] Frazier- [Muhammad] Ali, the ‘Thrilla in Manila,' except it was in New York.
"For me, from now on, it’s the ‘Thrilla in MSG.' I know it doesn’t flow quite as nice as the ‘Thrilla in Manila,’ but it was every bit of it.”
- The Sun
'HE'S OBVIOUSLY A CHEATER'
Colby Covington lost his rematch with Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 last night in a thrilling contest for the UFC Welterweight Championship.
He was beaten by unanimous decision in a very close fight after going the distance with Usman.
Usman won the first fight back in 2019 by TKO right at the end of the fifth round.
But the 33-year-old California-native took it right to the wire this time, almost causing an upset.
But Usman was ultimately declared the winner, and Covington feels Usman's victory was won unfairly, calling him a 'cheater'.
“He’s [Usman] a cheating coward, I have no respect for that guy. He’s obviously a cheater, he’s cheated in multiple fights.
"He was holding my glove tonight, against the cage.
“In the first round, I shot a takedown, and he went ‘bam, bam’, twice to the back of my head.
“I think Dan Miragliotta is top three best refs in the game, but I told him before the fight, ‘hey, do not let this guy hit me in the back of the head’.
“And he did, right away. If you go back and look at the footage, he clearly hits the back of my head.
“When you hit someone in the back of the head, it definitely dazes you real quick, so that caught me off guard.
“You’ll never see me cheating or trying to cheat. I got an unfair shake again, but I still thought I got the job done.
“But I promise you, you ain’t seen the last of me.”
- The Sun
WHITE NOISE
UFC President Dana White has suggest that despite speculation,Khamzat Chimaev is some way off fighting UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
He said: "You’ve got some guys out there talking about Khamzat Chimaev, that he’s ready for it… he’s had four fights in the UFC.
"You know, I get it. Listen, the dude’s one of the coolest, baddest things we’ve ever seen, the way he rips through people.
"But once you break into that top 10, top 5 and look, let’s not even talk about Usman. It’s a whole other game.
"He’s a couple of fights away, you know. If he can beat a couple of the guys in the top ten, top five, then we’ll see."
Chimaev is now #10 in the UFC welterweight rankings and has won all ten of his professional MMA bouts, with six knockouts and four submissions.
His last fight came against Li Jingliang at UFC 267, which we won in the first round by technical submission.
None of Chimaev's professional fights have ever gone further than the second round.
Credit: Getty - The Sun
FLIPPED OFF
Marlon 'Chito' Vera has explained why he gave opponent Frankie Edgar the middle finger during their bantamweight showdown at UFC 268.
Chito beat Edgar by knockout three minutes and 50 seconds into the third round of their fight and there was no love lost between the two throughout.
Chito said: "It's just mind games, we made eye contact, he gave me a tough look, so I'm like f**k you.
"But, at the end of the day, he's a legend, I wish him the best. It's fighting, you know.
"A lot of people believe we should be hugging each other and bowing. No, we're fighting for money.
"We're not fighting for fun or for a medal, we fight to feed our families. I fight to become a world champion.
"When the moment gets tense, there's two options. We make eye contact, we're getting mean. If I look away, he's going to be like 'f**k, I'm in his mind'."
"You might as well, you know. Flip him off, let him know I'm there and I'm ready to die.
"I came here, it's my time, and I'm going to keep climbing the ladder. I'm going to be number eight [in the world] soon, so I'm close.
"I'm going to be a world champion one day."
Chito took his record to 18-1-7 with the win and won Performance of the Night for his efforts.
- The Sun
SLAP IN THE FACE
Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager Ali Abdelaziz reportedly slapped Conor McGregor’s pal Dillon Danis backstage at UFC 268.
But it was Danis who was removed from the event following the alleged clash.
MMA Junkie claims Abdelaziz was ‘witnessed by multiple people’ slapping Danis backstage.
However, it wasn’t Khabib’s manager who was ejected, but McGregor’s training partner Danis instead.
It is added Abdelaziz has declined to comment on the confrontation.
But it’s the latest addition to the long-running saga between Khabib and Irish fighter McGregor.
The Russian submitted his counterpart in their 2018 grudge match.
But a rematch is not on the cards after Khabib retired from UFC in October 2020 after stopping Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
And he left the sport with an unblemished record boasting ZERO defeats.
McGregor now has his sights set on another member of ‘Team Khabib’ – Islam Makhachev.
But Abdelaziz believes McGregor stands no chance as he is destined to be an even better brawler than Khabib.
Abdelaziz told TMZ: “Islam Makhachev, there’s not too many people jumping to fight him.
“I think he’s going to be one of the greatest fighters eve. I think he is a better version than Khabib.
“I truly believe he is. He is not now but he can be and I think he’s a future world champion for sure.”
- The Sun
STRIKE ONE
It won't surprise fans to find out that last night's UFC 268 reportedly featured a total of 1,973 significant strikes landed, which is a new UFC record.
The record was previously held by UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes, which featured 1,818.
The Fight of the Night was the lightweight showdown between Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler, withGaethje winning by unanimous decision.
The 32-year-old American took his record to 23-3 and won Fight of the Night for a sixth time.
- The Sun
CANELO VS USMAN…
UFC chief Dana White has shut down potential talk of a crossover fight between Kamaru Usman and Saul Alvarez.
Both fighters won their respective fights on Saturday night and Usman reportedly spoke about a potential bout against Canelo earlier this week.
Whilst most fans would be eager to watch a showdown between the pound for pound kings of both boxing and UFC, Dana White is less convinced.
White said: "I watched the Canelo fight tonight… you don't wanna fight Canelo. Come on, man. Let's stop this s**t."
Usman's stock continues to rise after he beat Colby Covington by unanimous decision in a hugely entertaining fight last night at UFC 268.
But White does not think a bout between the UFC Welterweight champion and the newly undisputed super-middleweight champion should happen anytime soon.
- Justin Lawrence
CON JOB
Conor McGregor has been warned he could end up like Ronda Rousey if he doesn't take his return to the UFC easy, according to Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen said: "Conor cannot be expected to return better than he left. That would defy every rule of basic logic that a human being has.
"You don't get better at something by not doing it. You don't get better at something by not practicing.
You get better at something being forced on the sidelines because you have an injury.
"So if we try to put Conor right back in there in a very meaningful fight against any of the top guys, we're asking for too much and we're going to make Conor a victim of his own success. Exactly what happened to Ronda Rousey."
- Justin Lawrence
ROSE PRIDE
UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is proud of her victory over Zhang Weili at UFC 268.
Speaking after their fight, she beamed: “Very proud of myself. Yeah, it was a little tougher, but I’m very proud of myself,”
“I didn’t really have any expectations going into it. I figured that there’s a good chance that it could end up being a back and forth battle for five rounds.
"I more expected myself to, I guess feel a little looser. I was a little stiff sometimes then loose, then stiff and then loose so I don’t know. It was a roller coaster.”
- Justin Lawrence
CRUTCH LOSS
Colby Covington had to leave his fight against Kamara Usman on crutches.
Covington was spotted after the event leaving Madison Square Garden on crutches.
While it’s unknown exactly what his injury is, the American was moving gingerly to say the least.
But despite his loss to Usman, Covington is still keen on a rematch with the Nigerian.
- Justin Lawrence
AWAY CROWD
Chinese UFC star Zhang Weili claims US fans boo her because she's a foreigner.
Weili lost her UFC 268 strawweight clash to Rose Namajunas last night and was subject to jeers from the crowd in New York.
But Weili doesn't think the Americans don't like her, she reckons they boo her because she isn't one of their own.
Speaking after her loss, she said: “When I got booed, I feel like I understand it’s not that they don’t like me, it’s just because I’m not one of their countrymen, countrywomen.
- Justin Lawrence
WHITE CHOICE
UFC boss Dana White reckons Kamara Usman could be on his way to being the sport's best-ever fighter after his win against Colby Covington.
Usman's victory over Covington cements his position as the best welterweight in history, according to White.
And if the Nigerian carries on in the same vein, he'll soon be the greatest warrior the UFC's ever produced.
After the fight, White beamed: "Usman, this guy, he’s the best ever. He’s the best welterweight of all-time and he is on his possible way to GOAT status.
"Colby Covington is one tough dude, he is so tough."
- Justin Lawrence
CHEATING CLAIMS
Colby Covington has accused Kamara Usman of cheating to win their UFC 268 bout yesterday.
He said: "He’s a cheating coward, I have no respect for that guy. He’s obviously a cheater, he’s cheated in multiple fights.
"I mean he was holding my glove against the cage. In the first round, I shot a takedown and he went bam-bam on the top of my head.
"I think Dan Miragliotta is one of the top-three best refs in the game, and I told him before the fight, ‘Do not let this guy hit me in the back of the head,’ and he did right away,”
"If you go back and look at the footage, it’s clearly back of the head. When you hit someone in the back of the head, man, it definitely dazes you real quick.
"That caught me off guard. More tactics of him cheating. You’ll never see me cheating or trying to cheat, so I got an unfair shake again. I still felt like I got the job done, but I promise you, you haven’t seen the last of me."
- Justin Lawrence
COV PLAN
UFC star Colby Covington wants to take on Jorge Masvidal after his defeat to Kamara Usman last night.
Covington reckons Masvidal should scrap his next fight to allow them to get it on as he chases a rematch with Usman.
He told reporters: "I think the most logical step is the heated rivalry with me and my old roommate, ‘Street Judas’ Masvidal'.
"He should probably pull out of that fight with Leon Scott [Leon Edwards] and we should just run it in the first quarter of the year."
- Justin Lawrence
BERRY STYLISH
Halle Berry added a sprinkle of style to the UFC strawweight championship fight between Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili during UFC 268.
The Hollywood actress, 55, was dressed to kill in the Octagon as she presented Rose, 29, with her belt after she retained the strawweight title.
Berry donned a short, black leather jacket with the boots to match along with high cropped grey trousers in the ring following Rose's win.
And she was all smiles as she embraced Rose alongside UFC boss Dana White.
- Justin Lawrence
WHITE CHOICE
UFC boss Dana White labelled Showtime President Stephen Espinoza an 'asshole' for showing Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant's boxing match simultaneously with Kamara Usman and Calvin Covington's fight.
White thinks it was a bad idea for Espinzona to do so and let the world know how he felt on Twitter.
White wrote: "I think they’re insane to go the same night as us. It literally doesn’t make sense,” White told reporters.
“(Showtime President Stephen Espinoza is) an asshole, so that doesn’t surprise me. I think it was a bad idea. And they charged, like, $80 for it. The thing was $80.”
- Justin Lawrence
'LET'S GO AGAIN'
Colby Covington wants another shot at Kamara Usman following their UFC bout last night.
Covington thinks he has unfinished business with Usman who beat him in UFC 268.
And he's already mapped out his route to earn a rematch with the Nigerian.
Covington said: "I think we have unfinished business.
‘I’ll go five more rounds in the parking lot right now, I’m serious about that, I will see him again, I’m not done with him.
"I’ll fight whoever it takes to get back there. I think the most logical step is the heated rivalry with me and my old roommate Masvidal."
- Justin Lawrence
COV LOSS
Colby Covington thought he won yesterday's fight against Kamaru Usman in UFC 268.
Usman ended up the eventual winner of the clash leaving Covington disappointed with his performance.
After the match-up, he said: "I’m definitely not proud of my performance. I should have won that. It was laser-thin again. I honestly thought I had it 3-2.
“It was very close. He clipped me. I clipped him a couple of times.”
- Justin Lawrence
USMAN ALI
Kamaru Usman compared his UFC bout against Colby Covington to Muhammad Ali's iconic fight with Joe Frazier.
Usman edged victory against Covington in their UFC 268 scrap but he still respects his opponent as one of the best in the division.
After the match, Usman said: "As a competitor I respect him [Covington]– that’s the next best guy in the division.
"This guy’s tough as nails. He’s very, very tough. Let’s be honest, (Muhammad) Ali needed a (Joe) or Frazier. All these guys."
- Justin Lawrence
HARD TO DECIDE
Conor McGregor became the UFC’s biggest star with his outrageously eccentric character – but also the knockouts to back it up.
The Irishman’s left hand has become as famous as his pre-fight one-liners that have turned him into a global phenomenon.
McGregor’s historic pay-per-view numbers have been justified by his performances, which led to him becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts at the same time.
The Irishman, 33, is currently a wounded animal, after losing his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier when he was force to retire with a broken leg.
SunSport caught up with British analyst Dan Hardy and asked him to rank Notorious' three best performances in the Octagon.
- 1. Eddie Alvarez: November 2016 – 2nd round KO
- 2. Jose Aldo: December 2018 – 13 second KO
- 3. Max Holloway: August 2013 – points win
NOT A WHITE IDEA
UFC boss Dana White has warned Kamaru Usman to stay away from Canelo Alvarez.
Both fighters won their fights last night in their different categories with Usman beating Covington in the UFC, and Alvarez disposing of Plant in the boxing ring.
Usman's been flirting with the idea to take on Alvarez in a cross-sport bout to cement his legacy, but after watching both fights, White doesn't think that would be a good idea.
He said: "I watched the Canelo fight tonight.
"He [Usman] don’t want to fight Canelo, he don’t want to fight Canelo. Come on, man. Let’s stop this s**t. If Canelo wants to come over here, awesome fight.
"Those two put on an incredible performance (tonight)."
BART ART
UFC fighter Chris Barnett, who weighs an incredible 19 stone, sealed his victory over Gian Villante with a stunning roundhouse kick – before celebrating in the cage with a front flip.
The 35-year-old American heavyweight produced the stunning move in the second round of his UFC 268 clash with Villante in New York, with the wheel kick stunning his fellow UFC veteran with two minutes of the round remaining.
WHITE’S ALL RIGHT
Dana White won a staggering $100,000 (£74k) bet after Canelo Alvarez’s stunning KO of Caleb Plant, writes TOBY GANNON.
The UFC chief – who oversaw a stacked card in which Kamaru Usman beat Colby Covington – placed the huge wager on the P4P king before their super-middleweight undisputed world title fight in Las Vegas.
And it was quids in for White, who walked away with $41k (£30k) after backing the Mexican to win by knock-out.
Canelo, 31, struggled throughout the fight but sent Plant crashing to the canvas in the 11th round.
He is now the first-ever undisputed super-middleweight champion in history – and has banked at least £30m for his troubles.
And White is a whole lot richer for it, too.
The 52-year-old – who watched the fight on TV while sitting in the front row at UFC 268 – admits he is a ‘degenerate’ gambler having lost a $1MILLION (£741k) boxing bet in 2007.
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