This past weekend in the main event of UFC 272 we saw a highly anticipated grudge match between two of the best welterweights in the world. Former best friends Colby Covington (17-3) and Jorge Masvidal (35-16) went to battle to settle their personal beef.
Going into UFC 272, the path to victory for both men was clear. Covington needed to use his pace and wrestling to break down Masvidal while Masvidal needed to keep things standing at range to hurt Covington.
In the first round, Masvidal immediately targeted the legs of Covington trying to slow down his pace. However, they really didn’t have any impact. All night long, Covington was able to pressure Masvidal up against the fence and get ahold of him.
Even when they were striking, Covington get the better of things most of the time due to volume. Now, Masvidal did drop Covington in the fourth round with a big right hand, but he couldn’t follow up.
Ultimately, it was a very one-sided fight at UFC 272. Colby Covington was too much for Masvidal and won a lopsided decision while proving once again that he’s clearly the second best welterweight on the roster.
What’s next after UFC 272?
Immediately after the main event concluded, Covington made it clear who he wanted next. Covington said that he wanted to fight another former teammate in former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
Like with Masvidal, Covington has serious personal beef with Dustin Poirier. Poirier has teased that he wants to move up to welterweight and Covington has made it clear that he wants to fight him. However, Poirier has said already that he’s not interested in that fight.
If he was, I would be all for the UFC making that fight happen. In terms of fights that make sense for the division, I would point to a couple of upcoming welterweight fights. There are matchups between Vicente Luque – Belal Muhammad and Khamzat Chimaev – Gilbert Burns.
Covington hasn’t fought any of those four men. One of those winners would make for a perfect opponent that would get Covington in a good spot to once agains challenge for the UFC welterweight title.