Covington beats Masvidal by decision in UFC 272 main event
Warning: Story contains coarse language
After one of the most heated grudge matches in UFC history, Colby Covington had the last laugh.
The No. 1-ranked welterweight defeated rival Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-44, 50-45) in the UFC 272 main event Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Covington largely relied on his wrestling game to dominate Masvidal from start to finish. In each round, he used his pressure and volume to get in his opponent's face and then worked to get him to the ground.
"Chaos" landed lots of ground-and-pound throughout the five-round bout and tried to submit "Gamebred" with rear-naked chokes, but Masvidal's submission defense held up.
Masvidal had a window of opportunity in the fourth round when he rocked Covington with a right hand, but the 37-year-old was visibly tired and failed to capitalize on the moment.
Covington finished the fight in full mount, raining down ground-and-pound until the final horn sounded.
"My wrestling wasn't there today," Masvidal said in his postfight interview. "I was flat."
Covington and Masvidal were once friends, roommates, and training partners at American Top Team, but they had a falling out in recent years and seemed to be on a collision course ever since. Masvidal has said their beef started when Covington didn't pay one of their coaches an agreed-upon amount after a fight in 2018. Covington, who's denied that claim, left the gym in 2020.
Covington was quick to move on from the grudge match afterward, calling out former teammate Dustin Poirier, who still trains with Masvidal at American Top Team.
"I just took care of Miami street trash. Now it's time to take care of Louisiana swamp trash," Covington said. "Where you at, Dustin Poirier, you cuck? You said it's on sight. Name the site, Dustin. ... I'll see you soon. You're next."
With the victory, Covington got back on track after losing to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision in November. The 34-year-old has alternated wins and losses in his last four contests, though Usman is the only fighter who has beaten Covington since 2015.
Masvidal, who became one of the biggest stars in the UFC in 2019 by beating Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz, is now riding a three-fight skid. He challenged Usman for the 170-pound title in 2020 and 2021 but lost both times - by decision and then by highlight-reel knockout.
He last won a fight in November 2019, against Diaz.