Sport
UFC 272 Preview: Covington goes toe-to-toe with familiar foe Masvidal
After years of talk, childish nicknames and entertaining back-and-forths, two ex-training partners turned rivals finally meet in the octagon for one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year.
Before that we have an all-Brazilian affair in the co-main, as former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos takes on Renato Moicano.
Colby Covington v Jorge Masvidal
Selling a fight is an artform, and Covington and Masvidal are two of the best this side of Conor McGregor. Working their way through the welterweight division with a series of impressive wins and high-profile knockouts mixed with callouts and all-out promos straight out of WWE.
Looming large over this bout is the fact that both contenders are coming off losses to Welterweight King, Kamaru Usman, and both fighters were quick to bring up each other’s shortcomings in their respective failed title attempts. The truth is, both have done exceedingly well over the last few years and their performances against Usman merely proved that they are amongst the best fighters in the UFC, duly fighting for the belt on merit, not just on hype.
Despite two impressive performances against the pound-for-pound number one, Colby ultimately came up short in both attempts, but he cemented his position as one of the best wrestlers in the promotion, boasting a cardio game that anyone in the sport would be jealous of.
That 50% of his victories have come from a decision should come as no surprise to regular fight fans. Furthermore, only one loss has been handed to the California fighter from the judges, which of course was against Usman.
Covington is 5/6 to grind out another win by decision on Sunday morning.
Hoping to put another dent in Colby’s record is Masvidal, who has come a long way since getting his own career back on track. After picking up four split decision losses in nine fights, Masvidal took a near 18-month layoff to revaluate his approach. This break resulted in a huge three-fight run, with KO wins over Darren Till & Ben Askren, then being crowned BMF over superstar Nate Diaz, cementing Masvidal as one of the biggest draws in the sport.
Since then, Masvidal has had two shots at the welterweight crown. A short-notice bout going the distance and the rematch finishing in a devastating KO, both in favour of Usman.
You can back Colby to finish Masvidal for an unprecedented second time in a row at enhanced price of 5/1 for a KO, TKO, DQ or submission.
Despite the loss to Usman, Masvidal showed a huge improvement in dealing with Usman’s wrestling, stifling 11 of his 16 takedown attempts. Finding similar success against Colby and keeping things on the feet could well be the key to victory.
Back Masvidal to win by KO/TKO or DQ at 4/1.
Rafael dos Anjos v Renato Moicano
In the co-main event, we have Brazilians Rafael dos Anjos taking on Renato Moicano on short notice after Fiziev had to pull out of their rescheduled fight due to Covid.
It’s been a rough couple of years for Dos Anjos, picking up just two wins in his last six after jumping to welterweight in 2017. A move back to his old weight class saw the former lightweight champion pick up a win in his last outing against Paul Felder.
RDA will also feel at home in the co-main space, having gone past the third round in eight of his last 13 fights. Moicano, on the other hand, will not be feeling so comfortable. He has never fought beyond the third, and his last seven fights failed to make it past the second.
Moicano has found more success at lightweight recently, going 3-1 since his move to the division in 2020. He will be hoping a win against a former champion will set him on the way to climbing the rankings.
