Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, at one point in time, were “best friends” and regular training partners at American Top Team (ATT). But the march toward the 170-pound title (along with a few other things) drove a wedge between the two welterweights, resulting in a bitter rivalry that comes to a head this weekend in “Sin City.”
Will the wrestling of Covington neutralize the striking of Masvidal?
“As far as having beaten great fighters and stuff, I won’t even talk to my grandkids about this guy,” Masvidal said during the UFC 272 media day. “It’ll just be some personal stuff, ‘Yeah, I beat this guy up, and some dude I never really liked,’ and that’s it. He won’t rank up there as far as accomplishments.”
Just days before their five-round showdown, footage has resurfaced on multiple outlets showcasing the skills of both combatants as they go head-to-head inside the practice cage. “Chaos” appears to get the better of “Gamebred” by using his collegiate wrestling background, but a lot has changed between then and now.
“I don’t like his style, how he fights. I think I’m going to make it look very easy come Saturday night and people are not going to even give me credit,” Masvidal continued. “They’re going to be like, ‘Yeah, I guess Masvidal was right. Colby’s overrated, over-ranked, and fucking a piece of shit individual.’”
We’ll find out in just a few days.
The UFC 272 pay-per-view (PPV) event, taking place this Sat. night (March 5, 2022) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, also features heavyweight bruiser Greg Hardy competing on what could be the final fight of his UFC contract against Serghei Spivac. Elsewhere on the card, Renato Moicano steps in for a short-notice affair opposite former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos.
For the rest of the UFC 272 fight card and PPV lineup click here.