UFC 272 Preview

Hello everyone, we are in for another epic night of fights on March 5. UFC 272 will be taking place in the fight capital of the world, Viva Las Vegas, at the T-Mobile Center. The fight card is good overall, but everyone is mostly looking forward to the grudge match to close the show. The main card features an epic grudge match between former best friends-turned-foes as the main event, a late-notice match up in the co-main event, and a fan favorite fighting for a chance at redemption in a new weight class, as Colby "Chaos" Covington (16-3) will be fighting his former best friend turned bitter rival Jorge Masvidal (35-15) and former Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos (30-13) will be a late notice replacement in Renato Mociano (16-4), followed by the debut of Kevin "Trailblazer" Holland (21-7) at Welterweight against the veteran Alex Oliveira (22-11). Before we witness this emblematic fight card on Saturday March 5, I wanted to share my thoughts and predictions on the main event.

Colby Covington vs Jorge Masvidal

All hell is going to break loose on March 5 at the T-Mobile Center when Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington fight in the octagon for the very first time. This fight has all of the ingredients to be an instant classic, based on the fact they're both currently two of the best welterweights on the planet and that both fighters legitimately have a hatred for one another. We have seen many rivalries throughout the history of the UFC, from DC and Jon Jones, to Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagamedov, and many others to name a few. The rivalry between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal could arguably rank as the most heated rivalry in the UFC, due to the amount of history that both fighters share with one another. Both men were former training partners at American Top Team and even lived together as roomates in the past. Colby and Jorge are both on record stating how they were "brothers" and how they were going to make it the top of their divisions, being that Masvidal was a Lightweight at the time and Colby was still in the Welterweight division. Once Masvidal made the decision to move up in weight, the possibility of them fighting became inevitable. Things took a turn for the worst, once Colby beat Demian Maia in Brazil. Colby's iconic post-fight interview in the octagon went viral when Colby dissed the whole country of Brazil and called their country a dump. He turned fully "heel" and embraced a character that resulted in him being kicked out of American Top Team and losing his best friend in Jorge Masvidal. Covington's heel persona has made him one of the most hated guys on the roster and deservingly so. He has disrespected and made racial remarks on numerous occasions, from talking about Masvidal's ex-wife and kids, to making racial remarks about Kamaru Usman's father, and much more. When it comes to selling tickets and PPVs, there's a thin line between trying to "entertain" and being blatantly disrespectful. There's a way to sell tickets without bringing up people's children and spouses. Since Colby's character shift, he has fought for the belt twice, losing both times to Kamaru Usman. Masvidal on the other hand, fought for the belt twice as well, losing to Kamaru Usman. In retrospect, I wouldn't say that this fight has title implications, being that both men lost to the champion twice, but it does in fact move them in the right direction. Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards are set to fight for the Welterweight Championship in July, meaning that if Leon Edwards wins the title from Usman, either Covington or Masvidal could see themselves in another title match later on down the line. With all that being said, both men are extremely high level fighters. Colby Covington has some of the best cardio the UFC has ever seen and Jorge Masvidal can strike with the best of them. Colby doesn't necessarily have knockout power, but he will definitely be looking to push the pace for all five rounds if need be. On the other hand, Masvidal does have knockout power via his 5-second destruction of Ben Askren and his knockout over Donald Cerrone. Look out for Masvidal to come out guns blazing looking for the knockout early. In the end, the fight will be determined by which fighter is able to implement their gameplan. Will Covington be able to impose his will and make this a dirty fight? Will Masvidal be able to impose his will and knock out Colby within the first two rounds? We shall see tonight on March 5th! Expect this fight to be fireworks, we are in for an epic night ladies and gentleman!

Prediction: Jorge Masvidal via 2nd Round Knockout