Two title fights headline arguably the most anticipated card of 2021 as welterweight champion Kamaru Usman defends his title against top-rated challenger Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 268. Their battle tops the main UFC 268 fight card (10 p.m. ET) from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The combatants put on a memorable war two years ago that saw Usman score a fifth-round stoppage in his first title defense. His fifth defense comes against the polarizing Covington, who maintains that an early stoppage and biased officiating prevented him from potentially winning the first matchup.

Usman is a -290 betting favorite (risk $290 to win $100), while Covington a +245 underdog in the latest Usman vs. Covington odds at Caesars Sportsbook. In the co-main event, women's strawweight champ Rose Namajunas (-115) takes on Zhang Weili (-105) in another title rematch. Before locking in any UFC 268 picks of your own, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from red-hot SportsLine combat expert Andrew Gombas.

Gombas is a former NCAA wrestler who taps into his experience on the mat to dissect the X's and O's of MMA matchups in a manner that sets him apart from other MMA analysts. He started the MMA handicapping service MMA Knockout Bets in 2018 and has shown a profit every year since.

With more than 1,200 selections tracked by the third-party monitoring service Bet MMA, he has shown a 10 percent return on investment for his followers. In 2020, $100 bettors who tailed his picks were up $9,200. Just last week at UFC 267, Gombas called the massive upset for Glover Teixeira (+240) against Jan Blachowicz (-280) for the light heavyweight title in the main event. Anyone who has followed Gombas already has seen massive returns. 

Now, with UFC 268 in sight, Gombas has studied the card from top to bottom and released his top selections. A successful parlay of those picks would pay better than 8-1. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of Gombas' expert MMA picks and analysis.

UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2 preview 

Usman (19-1) is undefeated in 13 UFC appearances, and his recent run of dominance has many MMA observers suggesting he is in the conversation alongside the likes of Georges St. Pierre as the most dominant UFC welterweight of all time. 

The Nigeria-born fighter won the title with a lopsided decision over former champion Tyron Woodley in March 2019, and his four defenses include a pair of dominant wins over fan favorite Masvidal. Usman was once criticized for his wrestling-heavy style, but his improved striking has shown with three stoppages in his last four fights. 

His most competitive title fight to date came against Covington (16-2), the outlandish trash-talker whose larger-than-life persona often overshadows his formidable skill set.

Covington and Usman went toe-to-toe for four-plus rounds in their first meeting, and most observers had the fight at two rounds each heading into the fifth. Kamaru floored the challenger with a series of punches and Covington protested the stoppage at 4:10 of the fifth round, though he appeared to be in peril. 

The top-ranked contender has promised a different outcome in the rematch, but Usman has predicted an even more dominant victory. You can only see which fighter to back at SportsLine.

UFC 268 predictions

We'll share one of Gombas' UFC 268 picks here: He is backing Frankie Edgar (+145) to upset Marlon Vera (-165) in a battle of veteran bantamweights.

The No. 8-ranked Edgar (24-9-1) is widely revered as an active UFC legend who was a pioneering figure in the growing popularity of mixed martial arts. He made his UFC debut with a 6-0 record in February 2007 and became lightweight champion with a win over fellow icon B.J. Penn at UFC 112 in April 2010. He lost to Jose Aldo in a bid for the featherweight title and has mixed results while dropping to bantamweight for the twilight of his career.

The 40-year-old New Jersey native is 2-4 in his last six appearances and is coming off a first-round stoppage loss to recent interim title-challenger Cory Sandhagen in February. Vera (17-7-1) is a six-year UFC veteran who is known for his nonstop brawling style. He has cracked the rankings at No. 13 following wins in seven of his last nine appearances.

"I believe Edgar will mix in takedowns and out-volume his opponent on the way to a decision victory," Gombas told SportsLine.

How to make UFC 268 selections

Gombas also has strong picks for Usman vs. Covington 2 and the other fights on the UFC 268 card. He's also backing one fighter "to take over late" and emerge with a dominant victory. Those UFC picks and MMA predictions are only available at SportsLine. 

Who wins Usman vs. Covington 2? And what other picks do you need to see for a parlay with a payout of better than 8-1 ? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC 268, all from the insider who's up nearly $9,200 on MMA picks in the past year, and find out.

UFC 268 odds, fight card

Kamaru Usman (-290) vs. Colby Covington (+245)
Rose Namajunas (-115) vs. Zhang Weili (-105)
Justin Gaethje (-185) vs. Michael Chandler (+165)
Shane Burgos (-185) vs. Billy Quarantillo (+165)
Frankie Edgar (+145) vs. Marlon Vera (-165)
Alex Pereira (-250) vs. Andreas Michailidis (+210)
Al Iaquinta (+150) vs. Bobby Green (-170)
Phil Hawes (-300) vs. Chris Curtis (+250)
Edmen Shahbazyan (+105) vs. Nassourdine Imamov (-125)
Ian Garry (-340) vs. Jordan Williams (+280)
Gian Villante (-105) vs. Chris Barnett (-115)
CJ Vergara (+150) vs. Ode Osbourne (-170)
Dustin Jacoby (-330) vs. John Allan (+270)