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The second blockbuster event in as many weeks, UFC 268: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2 had plenty of expectation going in.
Thankfully, UFC 268 largely delivered, producing a tremendous night of fights that lit up New York City.
While neither of the title bouts on offer ended in a violent finish, there were still plenty of explosive moments last night, with six fighters winning $50k bonus awards.
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With that in mind, here are the five most explosive moments from UFC 268: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2.
#5. Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler produce a UFC classic
Justin Gaethje’s lightweight bout with Michael Chandler had UFC fans dreaming of a potential classic, and incredibly, the two sluggers managed to surpass expectations.
While this fight did not produce a finish, both men came close to stopping the other on numerous occasions. They never stopped swinging from the start of the bout until the final buzzer. It was the very definition of an explosive encounter.
In the end, it was Gaethje who got his hand raised, picking up his first win since his TKO of Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 last year.
The biggest moment for ‘The Highlight’ in last night’s fight came in the second round. He timed a picture-perfect uppercut that dropped Chandler like a ton of bricks. For all intents and purposes, it seemed like the fight was over.
Incredibly, though, Chandler willed his way back into the bout. He somehow ended things by absorbing the best shots Gaethje had to offer while marching forward at him.
In the end, this was one of those rare UFC fights where neither man felt like a loser. Gaethje may well fight for the UFC lightweight title next time out, while Chandler proved he’s one of the toughest fighters on the planet overall.
Essentially, if you missed this fight, you need to see it as soon as possible. It was one of the most explosive UFC fights in recent memory and may well have been the best of 2021.
#4. Bobby Green ends the night of Al Iaquinta in violent fashion
Four fighters competing at UFC 268 were awarded $50k Performance of the Night awards. One of the more surprising recipients was Bobby Green.
Coming into his clash with Al Iaquinta, not only had ‘King’ lost his last two bouts, but he also hadn’t produced a finish since his TKO win over James Krause back in November 2013.
That changed last night. Both Green and Iaquinta seemed content to trade shots from the off. Green used his trademark style – hands down, looking to shoulder-roll to avoid shots ala Floyd Mayweather - and he appeared to be the quicker man.
That speed advantage paid off at the midpoint of the round. He landed a beautiful one-two that split Iaquinta’s guard and sent him crashing to the ground. ‘King’ needed no further encouragement to pounce on him and finish him off.
This was a wonderful finish for Green, made all the sweeter due to his lack of finishes in recent years. Incredibly, it was the first time Iaquinta had ever been stopped with strikes, too – meaning ‘King’ more than earned his $50k bonus.
#3. Alex Pereira unleashes a brutal flying knee on his UFC debut
There was plenty of hype around the UFC debut of middleweight Alex Pereira. After all, ‘Po Atan’ – a former GLORY kickboxing champion – remains the only man ever to knock out current UFC middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya.
Early on in his fight with Andreas Michailidis, though, it didn’t look like MMA was the sport for him. Michailidis used a clinch-based gameplan to prevent the Brazilian from opening up with his strikes, slowing him down to a grind.
It was clear that Pereira needed to change things up in the second round, and he did just that. With just seconds gone, he unleashed an incredible flying knee that sent Michailidis down like he’d been shot.
Pereira didn’t get a walk-off knockout – largely due to a weird decision from referee Dan Miragliotta to let the fight initially continue. Still, this was one of the best finishes of 2021, reminiscent of another famous flying knee KO from James Irvin in 2005.
Will Pereira climb the ladder to earn a fight with Adesanya in the UFC? Who knows, but based on this, he should make for some tremendously exciting fights in the octagon.
#2. Chris Barnett stuns everyone with the biggest spinning wheel kick in UFC history
Based on the shape that both men came into UFC 268 in – more reminiscent of Roy Nelson than Francis Ngannou – expectations on the fight between heavyweights Chris Barnett and Gian Villante were pretty low.
Sure, both men appeared to have the power to stop their opponent, but the likelihood of a truly explosive finish seemed slim. Most fans were expecting a classic heavyweight slop-fest.
Instead, Barnett – whose only other UFC appearance saw him easily defeated by Ben Rothwell – delivered one of the craziest finishes in recent memory, seemingly defying both logic and physics.
After Villante appeared to edge the first round, the second saw Barnett – who stands at 5’9” and yet weighs 265lbs – uncork a crazy spinning wheel kick that knocked his opponent down.
We’ve seen spinning wheel kicks used to knock opponents out in the UFC on numerous occasions now, but this was still crazy. After all, such finishes usually belong in the lighter divisions, and nobody could’ve imaged Barnett was even flexible enough to land such a shot!
Thanks to this knockout, not only does ‘Huggy Bear’ find himself $50k richer today, but he also has a good chance of going viral on the internet, which can only be a good thing for him.
#1. Marlon Vera ends Frankie Edgar’s night in highlight reel fashion
While Alex Pereira and Chris Barnett might have an argument to suggest otherwise, the best finish at UFC 268 came from Marlon Vera, who turned the lights out on Frankie Edgar in the final round of their bantamweight clash.
The fight had been a back-and-forth one, with Edgar edging the first round thanks to his takedowns and ground control. Vera used his powerful striking to take the second.
The third round looked to be going the way of ‘Chito’ too, but – evidently knowing the history of Edgar taking close decision wins in the UFC – he decided that he wouldn’t leave anything to chance.
The native of Ecuador closed ‘The Answer’ down, and when he noticed a gap in his guard, he threw up a picture-perfect front kick to the jaw that folded the former UFC lightweight champion.
Edgar was done the moment he hit the ground. While he attempted to protest the stoppage, it was clear that he was in no fit state to continue, as he wobbled around once he did get back to his feet.
This was the best finish of Vera’s UFC career by a mile, and the fact that it came in such a high-profile fight made it all the sweeter. If ‘Chito’ wasn’t considered a contender for the UFC bantamweight title before last night’s fight, he should be now.
