UFC 272: Previewing Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington and the Rest of the Card

UFC 272 is proof that you don't need a title fight to sell a pay-per-view.

The card, which goes down March 5 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will be headlined by a five-round welterweight fight between ranked contenders Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. There will be no title on the line—not even the tawdry "BMF" belt. Yet the fight is plenty alluring nonetheless because the pair are former training partners turned mortal enemies. At least, that's what they'd have us believe. 

This high-stakes welterweight grudge match is not all UFC 272 has to offer. In the evening's co-main event, former UFC lightweight champion and interim welterweight title challenger Rafael dos Anjos will look to continue a late-career resurgence at the expense of once-beaten Kyrgyz contender Rafael Fiziev.

The card will also feature a compelling featherweight clash between Edson Barboza and Bryce Mitchell, a fan-friendly welterweight fight between Kevin Holland and Alex Oliveira, and a trio of undercard women's bouts that deserve far more attention than they're getting.

Keep reading for a preview of the fun to come.

Back in the day, I worked for a website that would regularly interview Jorge Masvidal. This was when he was still seen as a journeyman, before his unlikely metamorphosis into an MMA superstar. At one point, he started asking us to interview his best friend and roommate, an up-and-coming welterweight named Colby Covington who had just arrived in the UFC.

How things have changed.

As the pair simultaneously reached the top of the UFC welterweight division—Masvidal as a resurgent veteran and Covington as a surging prospect—their relationship began to curdle. Today, they share one of the most talked-about rivalries in all of MMA.

They can't seem to go more than a few hours viciously trash-talking one another and have long been calling for the chance to settle their differences in the Octagon. It's possible that they're still friends and this is all an extremely elaborate way of selling a fight, but at this point, it's fair to believe they don't like each other.

This is also an important fight for the welterweight division. Masvidal and Covington are among the division's best established stars, and they've both been beaten by its reigning champion Kamaru Usman—twice.

A victory for either man will likely not be enough to earn a third crack at Usman, but it will be an important step in that direction. Defeat, on the other hand, would be disastrous for either man, as the loser will most likely tumble out of the title conversation. 

The stakes are incredibly high, even without a belt on the line.

Rafael dos Anjos used to be the best lightweight in the world. It feels like a lifetime ago. That's not to say the Brazilian has fallen off; he's just been through so much since then.

After losing the lightweight title to Eddie Alvarez, and then coming up short against Tony Ferguson, he hiked up to welterweight. He then had an epic rise through the welterweight ranks, tearing through Tarec Saffiedine, Neil Magny and the division's former king, Robbie Lawler, to earn a crack at the interim title opposite Colby Covington.

Dos Anjos lost a decision to Covington, then he entered into the second phase of his welterweight career: the downfall. He went 1-3 in his next four, sandwiching a submission win over Kevin Lee between losses to Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards and Michael Chiesa.

That skid forced him back to lightweight, where he immediately re-entered the title conversation with a win over long-time contender Paul Felder. Ahead of his UFC 272 fight with Kyrgyzstan's Rafael Fiziev, the Brazilian is in the same place he was at the beginning of 2014: a few wins from a lightweight title shot.

If Dos Anjos were to reclaim the title, it would be one of the most remarkable stories in lightweight history. His doing so, of course, most probably hinges on his defeating Fiziev. That will not be easy.

The muay thai specialist, who trains out of the famed Tiger Muay Thai facility in Phuket, has the look of a future title challenger—maybe even a champion. After losing Magomed Mustafaev in his UFC debut, he rattled off five consecutive wins, most recently flattening Brad Riddell with a third-round wheel kick. He's a weapon, which is why he's a noteworthy -255 favorite (bet $255 to win $100), according to DraftKings.

One of the coolest things about MMA is how it brings people from different worlds together. Edson Barboza and Bryce Mitchell's main card featherweight scrap is a great example of that.

The 36-year-old Barboza is from Rio de Janeiro. His combat sports journey started with muay thai when he was just eight years old. After committing to MMA, he left home and moved to the United States. He spent much of his early career training under Ricardo Almeida amid the industry of New Jersey, but he now trains at American Top Team in the heat of South Florida.

He's known for his flashy striking, which he has used to score some of the most memorable knockouts in MMA history. Check out his wins over Terry Etim and Beneil Dariush if you haven't seen them.

Mitchell, who is almost a decade younger than Barboza at 27, was born in small-town Arkansas. Like many American fighters, he got started with wrestling in high school. He got into MMA in 2015—when Barboza was already 17 fights into his pro career. He's known for his slick grappling—and for dressing in camo, putting out rap albums and for suffering a truly heinous injury that I'm not even going to try to describe for you. He's a character.

While Barboza and Mitchell have had totally different journeys, they are united by one key characteristic: They're both world-class featherweights.

At UFC 272, Barboza will be looking to reassert himself after a disappointing loss to top-five contender Giga Chikadze. Mitchell, meanwhile, will be looking for the win that pushes him from prospect to contender after wins in his first five UFC bouts. It's anyone's guess who wins, but it should be a great fight.

Kevin Holland vs. Alex Oliveira

Kevin Holland and Alex Oliveira are both known for bringing an almost cartoonish level of violence to the Octagon. They're also both maddeningly inconsistent and prone to disappointing performances that leave fans scratching their heads in bewilderment.

Suffice it to say that their UFC 272 fight will either be very fun or very weird—maybe both. One way or the other, a spectacle is guaranteed, which is why it's on the main card. It's sure not because Holland and Oliveira represent the sport's best talent. Neither guy has won a fight since 2020. 

Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan

This fight should be on the main card. Marina Rodriguez is the No. 3-ranked fighter at strawweight, the most competitive women's division in the sport. Depending on who you ask, she might even be the division's top contender.

Her opponent Yan Xiaonan is ranked No. 4, and despite a recent loss to Carla Esparza, is likely a win or two away from title contention herself. Both women deserve some main card shine—certainly more than middling heavyweights Sergey Spivak and Greg Hardy, who got the spot instead.  

Maryna Moroz vs. Mariya Agapova

Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal aren't the only ones settling a score at UFC 272. On the undercard, Ukraine's Maryna Moroz and Kazakhstan's Mariya Agapova will look to do the same.

The pair's beef seemingly dates back to 2021, when Moroz accused Agapova of using drugs and threatening their teammates at American Top Team. Agapova's team vehemently denied those claims. Agapova then called Moroz out after a win over Sabina Mazo, and here we are. This will be a fun one. 

Manon Fiorot vs. Jessica Eye

Valentina Shevchenko has been the picture of dominance as the UFC flyweight champion, but she might be starting to sweat a bit. Her division is suddenly full of fresh contenders, such as Erin Blanchfield, Casey O'Neill, Alexa Grasso, Taila Santos, and Manon Fiorot, the latter of whom is back in action at UFC 272.

France's Fiorot will take on skidding former title challenger Jessica Eye in a fight that feels a bit like a squash match. Still, it should give us a real sense of whether Fiorot is a flash in the pan or a real threat to the champ.