Rivals are set to clash in the main event of UFC 272, as Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington have been paired against one another.
The welterweight bout was first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN. While contracts have yet to be signed for the fight, it is “nearly finalized,” per the report. Should it be completed, it would headline a pay-per-view card that is set to happen on March 5th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The matchup marks the first time that either Covington or Masvidal will compete since losing a title fight to current UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman.
Covington was the more recent of the two to meet Usman. He fought the current champ in November, losing a unanimous decision after five rounds of action. That fight was his second time meeting him, with their first bout being a fifth-round stoppage victory for Usman in late 2019.
Masvidal met Usman in both of his more recent bouts. His first fight, a meeting against him in 2020, saw him come in on short notice and lose a decision. Masvidal was knocked out the next time around, as Usman stopped him in the second round of a 2021 bout.
UFC 272 Sees Big Changes
UFC was originally planning two title fights for UFC 272, with the top of their featherweight and bantamweight divisions competing. However, after Max Holloway pulled out of his title bout against Alexander Volkanovski and Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan’s rematch also experiencing roadblocks, both belts will now be on the line in April.
For now at least, UFC 272 is a rare card that includes no title fights. This was seen twice in the 2021 schedule. Both times, lightweights Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor met in the main event of numbered cards.
Who do you see winning in a fight between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington?
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