PAIR OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCHES
HEADLINE UFC® 268 AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
UFC® 268: USMAN vs. COVINGTON 2 TICKETS
ON SALE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
FEATURED BOUTS:
(C) KAMARU USMAN vs. (#1) COLBY COVINGTON
(C) ROSE NAMAJUNAS vs. (#1) ZHANG WEILI
JUSTIN GAETHJE vs. MICHAEL CHANDLER
UFC® returns to the world famous Madison Square Garden with a compelling pair of world championship rematches. Headlining the event will be UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman as he looks to defend his title once again against heated rival and No. 1 ranked contender Colby Covington. The co-main event will see UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Najamunas aim to make it two in a row against former champion and No. 1 ranked contender Zhang Weili.
UFC® 268: USMAN vs. COVINGTON 2 will take place Saturday, Nov. 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, N.Y. All bouts will be simulcast on ESPN+ in English and Spanish beginning at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT with the ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass prelims. The prelims will continue exclusively on ESPNews, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT followed by the ESPN+ Pay-Per-View main card that will kick off at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
UFC® 268: USMAN vs. COVINGTON 2 tickets will go on sale Friday, September 17 at 10 a.m. ET and are available for purchase at ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. UFC Fight Club® members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets Wednesday, September 15 at 10 a.m. ET via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, September 16 starting at 10 a.m. ET. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
Usman (19-1, fighting out of Dallas, Texas by way of Auchi, Nigeria) intends to maintain his dominant reign over the welterweight division and make the case that he is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Undefeated in the UFC, he is currently on the longest active win streak at 170 pounds with 14 victories in a row, including Jorge Masvidal (twice), Tyron Woodley and Rafael Dos Anjos. Usman now has his sights set on vanquishing Covington once and for all and continuing his quest to become the greatest welterweight of all time.
Former interim UFC welterweight champion Covington (15-2, fighting out of Miami, Fla.) seeks to finally clinch the undisputed title with a statement performance. One of the most prolific wrestlers in welterweight history, he has secured victories over former UFC champions Tyron Woodley, Robbie Lawler and Rafael Dos Anjos. Covington now looks to prove that he has what it takes to upset Usman and begin his championship legacy.
Fan favorite Namajunas (11-4, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) competes for the second time in a year for the first time since 2017 and aims to leave no doubt with another triumph over Zhang. Namajunas, the No. 3 ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighter, holds the strawweight record for most wins by stoppage, including victories over Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Michelle Waterson and Paige VanZant. She now plans to make her second run as champion a historic one and establish herself as the greatest strawweight of all time.
Zhang (21-2, fighting out of Beijing, China) intends to make the most of her title rematch opportunity and show that she is the best strawweight in the world. The first Chinese champion in UFC history, Zhang rose to prominence with notable victories Jessica Andrade and Jessica Aguilar, as well as her 2020 Fight of the Year against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She now hopes to deliver an awe-inspiring performance and begin building another impressive win streak.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Lightweight knockout artists clash as No. 2 ranked contender Justin Gaethje (23-3, fighting out of Arvada, Colo.) locks horns with No. 4 ranked Michael Chandler (22-6, fighting out of Nashville, Tenn.)
- No. 8 ranked middleweight contender Sean Strickland (24-3-1, fighting out of Corona, Calif.) looks to spoil the return of former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold (16-5, fighting out of Santa Cruz, Calif.)
- Former UFC lightweight champion and No. 8 ranked bantamweight contender Frankie Edgar (23-9-1, fighting out of Toms River, N.J.) intends to put on a show when he faces No. 13 ranked Marlon Vera (17-7-1, fighting out of Chone, Manabi, Ecuador)
- In a thrilling featherweight bout, No. 14 ranked contender Shane Burgos (13-3, fighting out of Monroe, N.Y.) seeks to defend his spot in the rankings against rising prospects Billy Quarantillo (16-3, fighting out of Tampa, Fla.)
- Exciting middleweight prospects clash as No. 11 ranked contender Edmen Shahbazyan (11-2, fighting out of Glendale, Calif.) meets Nassourdine Imavov (10-3, fighting out of Paris, France)
- Aleksa Camur (6-2, fighting out of Broadview, Heights, Ohio) matches up with John Allan (13-6, 1 NC, fighting out of Curitiba, State of Parana, Brazil) in a light heavyweight contest of Dana White Contender Series alums
- Fan favorite Al Iaquinta (14-6-1, fighting out of Wantagh, N.Y.) returns to action against exciting striker Bobby Green (27-12-1, fighting out of Fontana, Calif.)
- Kickboxing standout Alex Pereira (3-1, fighting out of São Paulo, Brazil) makes his highlight anticipated UFC debut against Andreas Michailidis (13-4, fighting out of Acharnes, Greece)
- Dana White’s Contender Series signees battle as Melsik Baghdasaryan (6-1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) takes on TJ Laramie (12-4, fighting out of Windsor, Ontario, Canada)
- Top welterweight prospect Ian Garry (7-0, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) plans for a spectacular UFC debut against Jordan Williams (9-5, 1 NC, fighting out of Englewood, Colo.)
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UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 155 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.
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