UFC 268 main card preview & top betting picks – 6/11/2021

The co-main event at UFC 268 is one of the most heavily anticipated matchups on the card as Rose Namajunas defends her UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship against Zhang Weili in a rematch of their UFC 261 title bout in April. We’ll break down this title match as well as the other fights on the card leading up to the main event of Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington this Saturday night in New York.

Women’s Strawweight: Zhang Weili (-115) vs Rose Namajunas (-105)

Zhang Weili (21-2-0) had won 21 straight fights and was a perfect 5-0 in the UFC before suffering her stunning first round loss via head kick knockout from Rose Namajunas at UFC 261. Prior to that defeat, Weili had knocked out Jessica Andrade to win the championship and had successfully defended it once against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. It will be interesting to see how Weili bounces back after suffering her first loss since the first fight of her professional career back in November of 2013.

SEE ALSO: GAETHJE vs CHANDLER BETTING TIPS

Rose Namajunas (10-4-0) is a highlight machine. She has gone 5-1 over her last four fights and four of her last five fights have come with the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship on the line. Namajunas has earned two Fight of the Night bonuses and two Performance of the Night bonuses over her last five bouts and will be in position to produce another banger this Saturday against Weili.

This one can so easily go either way. Both of these women are extremely well-rounded and balanced fighters that have multiple paths to victory. We can’t pass on the champion at this price, but you really couldn’t go wrong backing either fighter here in what will likely be one of the card’s top fights.

Featherweight: Shane Burgos (-190) vs Billy Quarantillo (+165)

Shane Burgos (13-3-0) was a rising star in the featherweight division as he entered the UFC with a 7-0 record and went 6-1 over his first seven fights with the promotion. But since then, he’s hit a snag with back-to-back losses to Josh Emmitt and Edson Barboza. Burgos will try to get back on track against Billy Quarantillo (16-3-0). Quarantillo is a scrappy fighter that is 9-1 over his last 10 fights including a 4-1 record in the UFC.

This is going to be a war. Burgos and Quarantillo both average over seven significant strikes per minute and neither will be afraid to trade blows in the center of the octagon looking for a knockout. We’ll take a stab on Quarantillo here; Burgos is the better fighter, but in a bout that will likelu just come down to who strikes with the big shot first, the price is right on a Quarantillo knockout bet.

Bantamweight: Marlon Vera (-175) vs Frankie Edgar (+150)

Marlon Vera (17-7-1) has traded wins and losses over his last four fights with a 2-2 record, losing to Song Yadong and Jose Aldo and beating Sean O’Malley and Davey Grant. Frankie Edgar (24-9-1) has lost four of his last six fights, most recently getting knocked out in the first round by a flying knee in his bout against Cory Sandhagen in February.

No one can question Edgar’s toughness or drive. But the 40-year-old’s best days are clearly behind him. He’s still tough and cagey enough to steal a win under the right circumstances, but it’s far more likely that Vera stays out of trouble and chips away at Edgar throughout the fight en route to a decision victory.