Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was scrambling to find suitable fights for UFC 272, which recently took a massive hit after the proposed main event went up in smoke. Alexander Volkanovski was set to defend Featherweight title in a trilogy fight against Max Holloway, but after “Blessed” came down with an injury the bout was axed and “The Great” was put on ice for the time being.
No fret, the promotion has locked down the highly-anticipated, long-awaited showdown between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington to headline the event, according to ESPN.
Let’s have some fun. Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) vs. Colby Covington (@ColbyCovMMA) will headline UFC 272 on March 5, per UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell. Five rounds, Las Vegas. Can not WAIT. https://t.co/URQfa6FEMm
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) January 11, 2022
Covington and Masvidal were once close friends and training partners at American Top Team (ATT), but things turned sour as their respective careers progressed. And the two have been at each others’ throats ever since. Colby has since parted ways with ATT, while Masvidal has been a mainstay with the famed camp.
Masvidal hasn’t competed since getting knocked out by UFC Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, at UFC 261 (see it here). Interestingly enough, Covington’s last loss also came at the hands of “The Nigerian Nightmare,” losing for a second time at UFC 268.
Also, the co-main event for UFC 272 — which was set to feature a rematch between current Bantamweight champion Aljamian Sterling and interim titleholder, Petr Yan — will possibly be moved to UFC 273 one month later, so the promotion is also looking for another bout to complement Masvidal vs. Covington.
Any suggestions?