Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington will meet again in a rematch of their 2019 battle as they meet again for Usman's welterweight championship at UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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The first time they met, Usman and Covington engaged in an absolute war that ended with Usman stopping Covington in the fifth round. But their rivalry hasn't subsided and the two will meet again riding emotional highs as they attempt to prove who the better fighter is.
Since beating Covington, Usman has ascended to the top of the UFC's pound for pound list while riding a 14 fight winning streak. He's coming off of a vicious knockout of Jorge Masvidal back in April appears to have plans to do the same to Covington on November 6.
Covington has only fought once since their first meeting and beat Tyron Woodley by fifth-round stoppage last September.
Will Covington get his revenge or will Usman prove his dominance, put an end to his rivalry and continue his journey to become the best welterweight of all time?
Sporting News provides some insight on how to bet on the welterweight championship clash.
All odds courtesy of FanDuel
UFC 268 odds for Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2
- Kamaru Usman: -300
- Colby Covington: +245
Kamaru Usman enters the fight as the favorite at -300, meaning it would take a wager of $300 to see a $100 profit should he successfully defend his title. Covington comes in as an underdog at +245, meaning that a $100 wager would return a $245 profit if Covington can avenge his loss.
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Usman vs. Covington 2 prediction
The first time Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington met, they put on a striking display that broke records. It was a surprising effort coming from two fighters known for their wrestling but a close fight ended with Usman breaking Covington's jaw and putting him away in the final round.
Usman has shown marked improvements since then that suggests the end result may come out the same, if not earlier.
Prior to the Covington knockout, Usman had only finished two of his first ten UFC opponents. He has now finished three of his last four, including Covington, Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns. And these aren't questionable finishes, these have been no doubters from Usman, who continues to show marked improvement in his striking. To make things further complicated for Covington, he's facing a man who has never been taken down in his UFC career. And that means that this fight will take place wherever Usman wants it. And if it's a standup affair, that doesn't bode well for Covington, who isn't much of a powerful striker to begin with.
Covington relies heavily on cardio, wrestling and volume to overwhelm his opponents. Those are three things that he is really good at. But the problem is that none of those things seem to trouble Usman. In order to get his attention, a fighter will have to hurt Usman to get him off of his game. Gilbert Burns briefly buzzed him but was ultimately stopped. Masvidal was thought to be the man with the striking prowess to upend The Nigerian Nightmare and was dominated the first time and brutally knocked out in the rematch. It takes a special someone to deal with Usman and Covington doesn't appear to be that person.
Usman to win at -300 doesn't present great value but Usman by (T)KO at +155 is where you'll get the most bang for your buck. It's going to be up to Covington to stay upright for 25 minutes and avoid an opponent who has already knocked him out once and plans on doing it again. If Covington is unable to get this fight to the canvas, he's going to find himself on the wrong side of a knockout at some point in the fight.
Sporting News Prediction: Kamaru Usman via (T)KO (+155)
