Preview/Prediction

Before we talk about the greatest MMA fighter in the world, let’s hear it for the volcanic eruption of combat-sports excellence that was UFC 268. If Saturday's card in New York's Madison Square Garden wasn't the event of the year, it'll do just fine until the event of the year gets here.

There was as much high emotion as there were highlight-reel knockouts, including a spinning knockout—from a dang heavyweight no less—and KOs on all four of the ESPN prelims. Oh, and there was at least one Fight of the Year short-lister too.

But we're here this early Sunday morning to talk about the one and only Kamaru Usman (20-1), who defended his welterweight title and cemented his status as MMA's pound-for-pound kingpin by defeating Colby Covington (16-3) in a close but unanimous-decision victory (48-47, 48-47, 49-46). 

The bout was a rematch of Usman's fifth-round TKO of Covington back in 2019, and a dirty and noticeably political feud has been simmering lo these intervening years. Both men were openly pining for a knockout, but Usman ultimately needed all 25 grueling minutes to once again best his archrival.

"I am the pound-for-pound best alive right now," Usman told UFC broadcaster and podcasting megalith Joe Rogan in the cage after the fight. "I'm gonna tell you right now, he was tough. I wanted to get crazy in there, try to get him out of there, but we took our time…but he's a tough son of a gun and he wasn't going to let me find that finish."

This was a back-and-forth contest, with Usman snagging the first two rounds, Covington nabbing the fourth, and the third and fifth being razor-thin.

Although both men landed big shots, this was a more muted affair than their first go-around. While Usman and Covington landed a respective 175 and 143 strikes in their first bout, per UFC stats, they landed only 123 and 107 in the runback despite having nearly a full minute more to work with. 

There were potential explanations on both sides to explain the lower activity rates. For the challenger, it could've been a fear, or at least an acute awareness, of Usman's jaw-breaking power. Usman himself may have been his own worst enemy. After telling everyone who would listen about his desire not to let adrenaline get the best of him, the pendulum swung too far in the opposite direction, binding him when he could have benefitted from more aggression. 

Perhaps the more notable example of such came at the end of the second round. After a dull first round in which the signature offense was a lone Usman takedown, the second round saw the champ open up. Down the stretch, Usman connected with one of his vicious left hooks. The challenger hit the mat like a bag of potatoes but quickly and rather impressively regained his feet, only to be sent right back to the mat with another left hook. Usman might have earned the stoppage had he allowed himself to swarm, but he played it safe and rode out the round on Colby's back.

Round 3 saw Covington look to wrestle, only for Usman to sprawl or otherwise turn back all four of his attempts. All in all, Covington, a distinguished wrestler, went a dismal 0-11 on takedown attempts—keeping Usman's remarkable 100 percent takedown defense rate intact. (Honestly, if that stat alone doesn't tell you he's the best, nothing will. And this is over the course of 15 fights in the UFC, making it decidedly non-fluky.)

Covington clearly took Round 4, out-landing Usman 33 significant strikes to 23. As Usman stayed behind his jab, Covington started to take more risks, charging forward to land combinations. A nifty uppercut found the mark. A kick to the body appeared to hurt the champ. After such a strong showing, Usman started to fade. Now it was Covington, always a cardio machine, who looked to have the wind at his back. 

"I had my moments," Covington told Rogan afterward. "I wobbled him a couple times at the end of [some of] the rounds, I just wasn’t able to capitalize. It was his night, he had a better night.”

The crowd was primed for big action in the final, potentially decisive stanza. But it never materialized. Usman was content to pump the jab, which, fine. It worked as far as it went, even if it left a faint hint of disappointment in the air.

If nothing else, the end result wiped away the Usman-Covington rivalry. Covington is a very good fighter, and he'll continue to move units with his dog-whistle-turned-up-to-11 approach to his own career and the fight game in general. But new challenges are emerging that could breathe fresh air into the welterweight division, which just a few months ago looked on the verge of growing stodgy. 

The first is Vicente Luque (21-7-1), who was backstage at MSG as the emergency backup. The well-rounded 29-year-old took a big step forward in August at UFC 265 when he submitted veteran Michael Chiesa (18-5) to run his consecutive win streak to four and his consecutive post-fight bonus streak to three. He's been angling for a bout with Nate Diaz, but who isn't? Another shocker: So far, nothing concrete has materialized. He may not be the understudy the next time he's that close to the title.   

The second and—let's be quite clear—more compelling of the options is a 27-year-old Chechen-Swede named Khamzat Chimaev (10-0). Most fight fans will recall Chimaev's mauling of a tough out in Li Jingliang (18-7) just a week ago at UFC 267.

Too early to discuss a title shot? UFC President Dana White doesn't think so. Usman doesn't seem to either. Yeah, Chimaev is probably still one or two fights away. But he's No. 10 on the divisional rankings, and if he keeps looking the way he did against Jingliang, he'll be fighting for the belt next year.

In the meantime, it's just nice to remember that Usman has options. Four of his last five fights came against either Covington or Jorge Masvidal. With Usman's personal business settled, we can all welcome some fresh blood into the division's inner circle. And it could be sooner rather than later.

All stats from UFC stats unless otherwise noted.

Our long, international nightmare is finally over. The Jack Eichel trade saga, which many anticipated would conclude by the start of free agency in July—including the player's agents—instead bled a month into the regular season.

Mercifully, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams traded him to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. No more trade proposals. No more exasperated insiders going on television to say nothing has changed. No more drama.

Vegas acquired Eichel and a 2023 third-round pick, and the Buffalo Sabres received forward Alex Tuch, prospects Peyton Krebs, a top-10-protected 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick in return. Let's analyze the trade hauls and what they mean for both teams going forward.

Vegas Golden Knights

Jack Eichel

As big of a success story as the Vegas Golden Knights have been since coming into the NHL in 2017, at some point, the novelty of making the playoffs but coming up short will wear off. The team has been built impressively over the years, but the one Achilles heel has always been the lack of a true No. 1 center. 

Jack Eichel changes that, to say the least. Eichel is not only a first-line center but one of the best in the game. The way he shoots in motion without barely moving a muscle fools goaltenders frequently. He has the dexterity to maneuver around defenders and create his own shooting opportunities. He's a high-end passer who can quarterback play from the left-faceoff circle, particularly on the power play.

There are simply few players in the NHL who have his combination of hands and vision in the offensive zone. His record of 178 points in 166 games over the past three seasons is impressive enough on its own, but it's incredible when considered in the context of how toothless the Buffalo Sabres were. His hands are elite.

He'll have all the help he needs in Las Vegas, with at least one of Mark Stone, one of the best all-around wingers in the NHL, and Max Pacioretty, one of the best goal-scoring wingers in the NHL, on his line. The expectation should be that Eichel is, at minimum, an 82-point center.

As we've explained previously, there's more to Eichel's game than just scoring. Particularly as part of a well-coached Vegas team, Eichel will do his part in the defensive end as well as in winning puck battles. For the first time in franchise history, Vegas has a true first-line center, and it's hard to think of many who are better suited for the role than Jack Eichel.

Vegas Grade: A+

A good rule of thumb in the NHL is that in a multi-player trade such as this one, quality wins over quantity. There are few prices that wouldn't be worth paying for a top-five NHL center who only just turned 25 and is under contract for five seasons. Vegas gave up some good assets, but assuming Eichel's neck holds up, it won't matter. This is a team built to win now.

One of the tricky aspects of figuring out an Eichel trade midseason was that his injury meant he wouldn't be able to have an on-ice impact for a while. The Golden Knights cleverly skirt this issue by moving Tuch, also injured, as well as future pieces. They keep their NHL roster intact short term and, with Eichel, should be a contender for years to come.

Buffalo Sabres

Alex Tuch

Tuch is a true modern NHL power forward. At 6'4" and 217 pounds, he's one of the biggest players in the league, but he has the skill needed to make an impact.

He skates well for his size, mostly maintaining a north-south trajectory, and is a major rush presence in the neural zone. He has the speed to beat defenders wide but also the size to hold them off if he pushes through the middle of the ice. Despite that rugged profile, he has soft hands and can stick-handle around defenders and carefully place wrist shots past goaltenders.

Tuch mostly scores his goals on rush chances or by shooting from the slot from low-to-high passing plays. Last season, he scored 18 goals in 55 games, and that 25-goal pace over 82 games seems like a fair expectation for him going forward.

Beyond that, though, Tuch is a major needle-mover in terms of the flow of the game. Because of his size and comfort carrying the puck, he's a zone-entry machine. If it's a dump-and-chase game, he gets his share of recoveries while also forcing an impressive number of turnovers using his reach and also leveraging his size.

Perhaps because he played on the West Coast and was behind a number of great wingers on the Vegas depth chart, it's possible that Tuch is one of the more underrated players in the league. He's a good point-producer who is phenomenal at driving play for his team. Per Evolving-Hockey, Tuch ranks 45th among all NHL forwards in Goals Above Replacement over the previous three seasons.

He's not going to be the face of the franchise, but Tuch is a first-line winger who, at 25 and under contract for five seasons, can be a long-term difference-maker for the Sabres.

Peyton Krebs

A young center with upside was the bare minimum expectation in a return package for Eichel, and Peyton Krebs comfortably fits that profile.

Drafted 17th overall in 2019, Krebs was a prospect some had pegged as a top-10 player in that draft class before he suffered an Achilles injury. The setback hasn't proved to be particularly problematic. He was dominant in the WHL, putting up 13 goals and 30 assists in 24 games last season. He also has a goal and nine assists in seven career AHL games and made his NHL debut last season.

Krebs is a versatile center who influences the game in a number of ways. He's primarily a playmaker in the offensive zone, as the numbers indicate. He's adept at finding passing lanes for the medium- and high-percentage types of shots, in particular the cross-slot feed. He's an extremely honest player who gets involved every shift, and despite his 6'0", 185-pound frame, he will battle physically with anyone. He's a worker bee in the defensive zone.

His lack of goal-scoring ability prevents him from having first-line upside, but Krebs is a first-rate prospect who isn't far off being NHL-ready. Skill aside, he has the makeup of a player Buffalo could use right now. He played valiantly in a leadership role for some brutal WHL teams and had to overcome a serious injury at a young age. Krebs has proved his resiliency and ability to remain upbeat during dire circumstances.

It's as delicate of a situation as ever in Buffalo, but Krebs will go in with the right attitude. He'll be a middle-six center in Buffalo, with the scale tipping more toward the second line than third.

2022 1st-Round Pick

Particularly with the COVID-19 pandemic limiting much of the 2020-21 hockey season, it's too early to know how good the 2022 NHL draft class will be. The early indication is that it's a reasonably good crop of players with difference-makers leaking outside of the top 10.

It's also too soon to know where this pick will land on the draft board. In theory, Vegas should be a contender, and this pick should be in the mid-20s at best. However, they have started the season with a 5-5-0 record, are managing injuries and won't have Eichel available anytime soon. Is it possible things could go haywire in Vegas?

The draft pick is top-10-protected, meaning Vegas will keep it and instead trade Buffalo their 2023 first-round pick if their season busts and they are on the clock any sooner than 11th overall. A realistic best-case scenario for Buffalo might be Vegas regaining some form but still struggling overall, with the pick landing somewhere in the late teens.

Grade: C+

There are so many layers to this deal that make grading it practically impossible. There's virtually no scenario in which trading a 25-year-old franchise center under a long-term contract is a good idea, but Buffalo's hand was forced. Even more so by a severe neck injury that made getting full value for him more difficult. It's also difficult to see how this return is substantially better than anything they would have received in the summer during a more competitive trade market. Was this long wait really worth it?

But in the circumstances—of their own doing, of course—Buffalo probably got about as good of a return as could have been anticipated. The Sabres got a solid young center and some future lottery tickets in the draft picks, though probably one less than they had hoped for.

The moral victory for Buffalo is the acquisition of Tuch. There were a number of potential versions of an Eichel trade where the NHLer acquired was someone with an expiring contract (Ryan Strome from the New York Rangers, Rickard Rakell from the Anaheim Ducks) who would be most likely swapped for more picks and prospects at the trade deadline.

To get a player of Tuch's caliber under contract for five years gives them a legitimate building block for the present and future. He's a serious player, and Adams can present him to the Buffalo faithful as not yet another teenager the team hopes figures it out five years from now, but as a meaningful piece of the puzzle who is a sure bet to contribute as soon as he returns to the ice.

Giving Buffalo a good grade here would seem inappropriate. Devoid of context, they lose this trade massively on value. Within context, it's possibly the lowest point in franchise history, one that encapsulates a decade of abject failure. Once one moves past all of that, though, the Sabres did get some worthwhile pieces that can hopefully become part of a more constructive rebuild.