Opening Odds for Usman vs Covington 2 After Being Confirmed at UFC 268 in November

• Opening Odds for Usman vs Covington 2 have now dropped
• Who is favored in this high-stakes, late-November championship sequel?
• Check out the fight odds, analysis, and predictions below

Opening odds for Usman vs Covington 2 are now out there shortly after the bout was officially announced.

With as minimal hyperbole as possible, this is truly a UFC welterweight championship rematch for the ages. Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington 2 is a follow-up to one of the greatest 170-pound showdowns in the history of the sport.

Opening Odds Usman vs Covington 2

Odds as of July 27th

Kamaru Usman is the favorite here, and there is a myriad of solid reasons why that is.

Usman has won 18 straight MMA fights, 14 consecutive UFC wins, which is encroaching on Anderson Silva’s record of 16 Octagon victories straight, and that’s just scratching the surface of why Kamaru Usman is the betting favorite.

Kamaru Usman’s Championship Pedigree

Kamaru Usman has presently notched four successful title defenses. The Nigerian Nightmare‘s dominance at welterweight has translated into high placement in the pound-for-pound hierarchy.

The first championship defense for Kamaru Usman was against Colby Covington in what ended up being one of the greatest welterweight fights of all time at UFC 245. A true back and forth war with a myriad of momentum shifts creating quite the emotional rollercoaster for many.

Usman broke arch-rival Covington‘s jaw and scored the victory via fifth-round TKO in their December 2019 prizefight. This was a contest that many invariably thought would happen, and many have been waiting weeks, months even, for the official confirmation to roll out.

Usman subsequently has notched a pair of emphatic victories against BMF champion Jorge Masvidal that bookended a third-round TKO win over Gilbert Burns.

Among those multiple championship defenses, nobody gave Usman a tougher time overall than Covington. That being said in terms of if there’s value in taking the underdog, I’m not so sure about that.

I feel like the line is laid out pretty appropriately when considering all variables of this clash.

Colby Covington’s Redemptive Rematch Road

Covington had some stellar moments in there with the reigning divisional kingpin in the first throwdown. Colby Covington still disputes the nature of the stoppage in the first Usman bout, claiming it was far too early.

Since that first undisputed title bid, Covington has switched his training camp from American Top Team to MMA Masters. A move that has seemingly paid dividends, but we’ve seen relatively minimal competitive visuals to completely confirm that.

The former interim UFC welterweight world champion has been a fair bit less active than Usman, conversely. While Usman has had the three aforementioned bouts since their initial meeting, Covington hasn’t participated in a single contest.

Colby Covington bested Tyron Woodley with a fifth-round TKO via rib injury in a UFC Fight Night main event on the promotion’s September card.

Kamaru Usman will meet Colby Covington in a welterweight title rematch at UFC 268 in November, Dana White told @bokamotoESPN.

The date and location are not finalized yet, but UFC is hoping for the fight to headline Madison Square Garden. pic.twitter.com/nqVAjgogO4

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 26, 2021

I can see a bit of underdog money coming in on Covington as fight week looms closer. His style of bombastic trash talk and the relative pugilistic parity in the first contest will lead to a somewhat closer line near the fight transpiring.

I think Usman will ultimately remain the favorite though. Due to the finish in the first fight, Usman’s strength of schedule since their first meeting, and the pronounced rate of improvement across title defenses.