MMA bettors have a great fight card to look forward to for a second consecutive week with UFC 268 betting on November 6. Saturday's card is headlined by a welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington in a rematch of Usman's previous defense.
Usman's fifth title defense has the champ as a -303 UFC betting odds favorite, with Covington a +230 underdog.
Here are our best free UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2 picks and predictions for Saturday, November 6 from the historic Madison Square Garden in New York.
Usman vs Covington II fight odds
Live odds courtesy of the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Usman vs Covington II method of victory odds
| Method of Victory | Kamaru Usman | Colby Covington |
|---|---|---|
| To win by KO/TKO | +155 | +700 |
| To win by Points | +190 | +500 |
| To win by Submission | +1,200 | +1,600 |
| Draw | +5,000 | +5,000 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook as of November 1, 2021.
Usman vs Covington II picks
Click on the pick to jump to the full analysis.
USA: Make DraftKings your sportsbook of choice for the UFC. Sign up now and get a first deposit bonus up to $1,000. Claim Now
Canada: Kamaru Usman + Rose Namajunas + Justin Gaethje to win BOOSTED to +550 at Betway. Claim Now
Usman vs Covington II betting preview
Kamaru Usman enters UFC 268 on an 18-fight winning streak and is a perfect 14-0 in the octagon. He's fresh off his fourth successful title defense after knocking out Jorge Masvidal in April. Usman made his first title defense against Covington in December 2019 and ended up putting away the challenger late in the fifth round after a back-and-forth striking battle.
The "Nigerian Nightmare" began his career as a wrestling specialist and cardio machine but has developed into an impressive striker as well under renowned boxing coach Trevor Wittman.
Colby "Chaos" Covington bounced back from his loss to Usman with a fifth-round TKO victory over Tyron Woodley last September. The 33-year-old is 16-2 in his MMA career, including a record of 11-2 in the octagon.
A former NCAA All-American wrestler at Oregon State, Chaos is a high-volume striker that loves to push the pace and has the high-level cardio to back it up.
Usman vs Covington II tale of the tape
| Kamaru Usman | Colby Covington | |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | Age | 33 |
| 6-foot | Height | 5-foot-11 |
| 170 lbs | Weight | 170 lbs |
| 76 inches | Reach | 72 inches |
| 19-1-0 (9 KO) | Record | 16-2-0 (3 KO) |
Usman vs Covington II UFC prediction and betting picks
Usman outright (-303)
Often when two wrestling specialists face off the fight stays standing up and that was exactly what happened when these two first faced off, with neither attempting a takedown attempt.
Covington had his moments in the first two rounds of the bout but Usman began landing power shots and broke Chaos' jaw in the third round. From there, Usman poured it on and eventually dropped Covington twice in the fifth round before the referee waved the fight off.
It's tough to see this fight go much differently this time around. We've only seen Covington in the octagon once since that first matchup, 14 months ago in a victory that hasn't aged well considering Woodley's steep decline.
Usman on the other hand has shown significant strides in his striking after changing camps prior to his defense against Gilbert Burns in February. Usman knocked out Burns in the third round and then starched Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 in April.
Expect another stand-up affair between these two and expect Usman to pick up the W once again.
Usman to win by KO/TKO (+155)
Covington showed plenty of toughness by fighting with that cracked jaw and almost making it to the finish line but Usman has shown even more stopping power in recent fights.
He knocked down Burns twice before finishing him with a flurry of punches on the ground at the beginning of the third round. Then he took on a striking specialist in Masvidal just two months later and sent him to the shadow realm with a highlight reel one-punch KO in the second round.
Usman now has three wins by KO/TKO in his last four fights and his explosive power seems to be getting better with age.
Fight to go the distance - No (-138)
Both of these guys have a history of decision wins but they also usually control their opponents with wrestling for long stretches of their fights. That likely won't be the case at UFC 268 and with the output and pressure of both fighters, it's tough to see this bout going the full 25 minutes.
Keep in mind that they combined for 318 significant strikes in that first matchup (175-143 for Usman), including a whopping 219 strikes to the head. And that was with Covington compromised for the second half of the fight. Don't bet on this fight going the distance.
