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There are feuds and rivalries, then there is Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. One of the most bitter friends turned enemies you will witness in any sport. For those that have followed UFC over the years, these two were always hyping each other up whenever a camera or microphone was in front of them. It seemed like a genuine friendship, so what lead to UFC 272 matchup where they both wanted to tear each others heads apart?
At some point, the friendship was meant to hit a roadblock. It’s improbable that two high level athletes in the SAME weight division would avoid each other in the path to the top. Jealousy and ego got in the way and a friendship was laid out to waste. Enter the nastiest (exciting for the fans and media) buildup for a fight, we have probably ever seen.
QUICK THOUGHTS ON THE CARD:
The card was decent, but not many big names, but in terms of matchups and the athletes involved, it was solid.
RAFAEL DOS ANJOS vs RENATO MOICANO:
- Moicano proved to be one of the toughest SOB’s I’ve ever seen in the octagon through this fight
- Moicano is the definition of legit “fighter” and major credit on taking the fight on short notice
- Dos Anjos so smooth and in control, dominant but Moicano’s resilience overshadowed the performance
- Bloody, brutal fight, it was fairly uncomfortable to watch
EDERSON BARBOZA vs BRYCE MITCHELL:
- Bryce Mitchell is one of the unlikeliest badasses in the UFC, doesn’t look the part, but he is an ass kicker
- Mitchell seems like a genuine dude, his post-fight charity donation declaration was really cool
- Mitchell’s wrestling is top-notch, he gets you down and doesn’t let you out
- Barboza has had a great career, but his age is showing and couldn’t keep up with the younger Mitchell
KEVIN HOLLAND vs ALEX OLIVEIRA:
- Holland is a Superman in and out of the octagon
- Good fight, but the resilience of Holland and the suddenness is impressive
- Holland made himself a top welterweight contender by how he showed out in this fight
- Oliveira had some nice moments in the fight, he did well, but this was all about Holland
SERGEY SPIVAK vs GREG HARDY:
- Spivak looks like he could be a WWE character or a horror movie villain with his intimidating look
- Greg Hardy is all hype, he can’t hand with legitimate UFC fighters, time to stop the Hardy push
- I’m not sure if Spivak is pretty good, or Hardy is just bad and not cut out for MMA?
- This was wasn’t much a fight, Spivak didn’t seem to have been threatened a bit in the 3 minutes it took him to end Hardy at UFC 272
COLBY COVINGTON vs JORGE MASVIDAL:
- The fight was good, but the heat leading up to it was better
- Masvidal is still a bit away from closing the gap between being a solid contenter to being a top contender in the welterweight division
- Covington vs Holland? I’d be interested in that fight
- For those hoping there would be some show of respect between Mas and Covi (*cough *cough Joe Rogan) there was zero indication these two will ever acknowledge each other with any respect
Covington did what we expected him to do, dominate on the ground. He’s an elite wrestler, even thought Masvidal dragged it out through five rounds, he was never going to overcome Covington’s matt skills. Masvidal said he was “flat footed” in the post-fight, he has some work to do on his wrestling to keep up with guys like Covington.
Covington didn’t earn any new fans by calling out “Louisiana trash Dustin Poirier”. Strong words and that be a hell of a fight if he wants to jump divisions. I don’t think Covington gets another shot at Kamaru Usman, yet. Little too soon. A couple more wins and I think they do it for the third time. Does Usman go against Holland next? Holland vs Covington? Some interesting possibilities.
As far as Masvidal goes, he’s still a fan favorite and a good draw. He is getting up there in age at 37 years old. How many big fights does he have left in him? He lost many recent high profile bouts. He will drop in the rankings after UFC 272. He needs some wins to get another big fight.
OVERALL:
UFC 272 didn’t have any title fights, but ended up being a solid show. Standouts of the night include Moicano, for his never-give-up will to stay in the fight after he was battered and bruised up badly. Kevin Holland showed he has another gear and is ready for the big time. Masvidal and Covington could have been more exciting, but Covington just wore out Masvidal, who had little gas left by the 4th round.
GRADE: B
UP NEXT:
UFC 273 in April has a promising card. Two legit title fights. Volkanovski is one of the most dominant fighters in any weight class, the matchup with “The Korean Zombie” will be intriguing. Can’t wait for Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling, finally.
