If you love MMA betting, you’re in for a great night on Saturday, November 6, as UFC 268 is going down live at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The UFC 268 card is loaded with great fights and Bovada Sportsbook has betting odds, props and futures on all the action. One of the most heated, and intense, MMA rivalries of the past decade will reignite with the championship rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. The card includes another championship rematch with Rose Namajunas looking to defend her title against one of the toughest women on the planet, Zhang Weili. With so many great betting options available at Bovada, let’s take a closer look at a few of the bigger fights set for UFC 268:
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Kamaru Usman (-300) vs. Colby Covington (+240)
The night’s main event will feature bitter rivals Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington as the pair do battle for the welterweight championship for a second time. Usman was victorious in their first fight, defeating Covington in the fifth round, two years ago at UFC 245. It’s interesting to see Covington get such little respect from the odds makers; despite ultimately losing, Covington fared very well in their previous fight and is the #1 contender in the Welterweight division. Covington is an incredibly skilled UFC fighter with a record of 16-2. While Usman remains undefeated in the UFC, he admitted to having trouble with Covington the first time. With even more time to prepare, Covington offers great betting value in fight with everything on the line.
The prop bet of total rounds is also very enticing for this particular fight. The over (3.5 rounds) is being offered at -150, which means if you wager $150 you’ll win $100 should the bet land. Both these fighters are incredibly strong, as well as very talented wrestlers. It’s going to take a round for them to figure each other out and considering the first fight went 5 rounds, it seems fair to assume this rematch will go the distance as well.
Rose Namajunas (-125) vs Zhang Weili (+100)
For UFC 268’s co-main event, Rose Namajunas will defend her strawweight title in a rematch with Zhang Weili. The first fight between the two was an instant classic with Rose winning via a first-round head kick knockout. For Zhang, the loss against Namajunas snapped an incredible 21-fight unbeaten streak. MMA odds makers expect Namajunas to rise to the occasion once again as she is the current betting favorite at Bovada Sportsbook. Zhang is regarded as one of the biggest female celebrities in her native China and has the eyes of millions of followers paying close attention to how she will bounce back after her brutal defeat. It goes without saying that we can expect her to be cautious of Namajunas’ viscous head kicks and be a little less aggressive in her overall strategy. Both fighters are also known to struggle at times with the pressure surrounding big fights, but that may be advantageous for Namajunas since all the pressure’s is on Zhang in this one. Fun fact: in their first fight Zhang was a -180 betting favorite.
Justin Gaethje (-188) vs Michael Chandler (+162)
Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler believe they’re the best in the world at 155 pounds and that they will earn a title shot with a victory at UFC 268. Both fighters are NCAA Division I All-American wrestlers, however, together they have amassed a combined 29 knockout victories throughout their professional MMA careers. While Chandler’s UFC record is only 1-1, there’s no denying the fighter has made a huge impact since coming over from Bellator. This is a difficult betting matchup to handicap and many are surprised with the heavy betting line on Gaethje. This fight is expected to be an all-out war, with both men stating that they’re going to bring the pressure to their opponent from the get-g. Betting $188 on Gaethje to win $100 seems like a big risk for someone who hasn’t fought in nearly a year. Chandler is coming off a setback at the hands of the lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, but prior to that he reeled off three consecutive wins via first round TKO (punches). If Chandler can connect early in the fight and bring his heavy hands and strong pressure, he offers great betting value at +162 to win the fight.
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Marlon Vera (-160) vs. Frankie Edgar (+135)
Former UFC lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar, returns to action as he is set to take on bantamweight contender Marlon Vera at UFC 268. Edgar, who just turned 39-years-old, is coming off a brutal knockout loss to Cory Sandhagen this past February. After winning his bantamweight debut fight against Pedro Munoz this time last year, a win this weekend would be progressive for Edgar as he attempts one final run at a UFC championship belt. However, Vera has some momentum heading into the fight, with 7 victories from his last nine fights, including a TKO win over Sean O’Malley last year. If Vera is able to overcome Edgar, that should be enough to land himself in the top 10 contenders of the division. Of all the stats to consider before betting on this fight, the age gap is what stands out to most. With 11 years on his opponent, it will be interesting to see if Edgar can keep pace with the much younger Vera. As much as Edgar has had a storied career and is a former champion, we haven’t seen enough of him at bantamweight to be convinced that he has any value at a betting line of +138. In fact, the betting line on Vera at -160 seems like very good value with all things considered: age, form and experience. It also rarely works out favorably for fighters who step into the octagon on the brink of their 40th birthday.
