Colby Covington Dominated Jorge Masvidal In A Decision Win At UFC 272

Colby Covington (17-3) coasted to win with a dominant decision victory over Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 272 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Covington and Masvidal exchanged blows early when an errant eye poke drew the ire of the latter. As Masvidal complained to the ref, Covington charged in, gained position against the cage, and took his opponent to the mat. Covington threatened chokes from Masvidal’s back before moving into almost full mount. Masvidal escaped the threat and made his way back to his feet before the round ended.

Masvidal opened the second round with a chopping leg kick that wobbled Covington for the second time in the fight. Covington continued to walk Masvidal down with his relentless pace, but Masvidal hung in for a competitive end to the second frame.

In the third, Covington continued to track Masvidal around the cage, peppering him with jabs before shooting for takedowns. He took Masvidal to the ground, moving into full guard and damaging him with heavy elbows. Every time Masvidal scrambled out, Covington was one step ahead, smothering him for a dominant middle round.

Covington stuck to his game plan in round four, pressuring Masvidal back against the cage and mixing in strikes with takedown attempts. Masvidal hurt Covington badly with more than a minute left in the round, rocking the former interim champ with a big right hand that dropped him to his knee. Covington recovered and brought the fight back to Masvidal, moving back to his comfort zone and settling for the fifth and final round.

Ready to end the fight, Covington opened the final round with an aggressive slew of strikes before earning a takedown with ease and moving to Masvidal’s back. He controlled the round and coasted to yet another win.

Masvidal came into Saturday night following back-to-back losses to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Covington likewise has lost twice to Usman, with his second coming at the tail end of 2021.

But the main event at UFC 272 was much more than just two opponents trying to find their respective ways back into the win column. The duo went from roommates to a bitter rivalry that involved verbal jabs and, eventually, punches thrown inside the Octagon. Even after the fight, 25 minutes wasn’t enough for them to squash their rivalry.

It’s not clear what’s next for Masvidal or Covington, but the latter called out Dustin Poirier as his next opponent.