UFC 272: Prediction, Preview & Tips

Following years of working alongside each other to build an "empire" and consequent years of wanting to take each others' heads off when success was sprinkled on the scene, Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal are finally set to go at it at UFC 272 this Saturday in Las Vegas.

It is, quite easily, the biggest rivalry we've ever seen in the UFC's near three decades worth of history when taking into account pure hatred for one another. Even from the days of Jon Jones versus Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Conor McGregor, this one feels different as it is not fueled by sole athletic competition and fighting history; this is all about man against man with both of them wishing nothing but the worst for one another.

Such emotion no doubt alters the fight in some way, but, at the end of it all, it is still a sporting contest and within that bracket, there is one clear winner here: Covington. In fact, if it wasn't for the future Hall of Fame name, Kamaru Usman, "Chaos" would most certainly be the 170 lbs champion.

The former American Top Team member, besides in his two losses to Usman, has been on an absolute tear of the welterweight division and never once looked in trouble. Back in 2020, a TKO victory came against Tyron Woodley after dominating for five rounds, while he also schooled Robbie Lawler and Rafael dos Anjos for the same amount of time. Convington has also faced off against the elite submission star, Demian Maia, in the past five years and not once did the Brazilian even get close to him.

Now, if Covington is to beat Masvidal, it's going to be how he has beaten every other fighter he has: unrivalled pressure from his relentless gas tank. If Masvidal can keep up with that pace, fire back with shots of his own, and stuff the takedowns, he will be in the fight right up until the final bell.

In fact, in reality, the only strength Masvidal boasts over Convington is the striking, but even that puts emphasis on superiority for Masvidal that isn't entirely justified; Convington is one hell of a striker too and "Gamebred" was knocked out cold in his last fight with Usman.

Across the board, "Chaos" has more going for him, and in pure MMA terms, there should be only one winner. This is, however, Masvidal, and if he is anything like the fighter shown in that incredible year of 2019, then he could well fly the flag for American Top Team on Saturday night.

Kevin Holland will be making his long-awaited debut at 170 this weekend after flirting with the idea for many years. "Big Mouth" will clash with the veteran figure of Alex Oliveira and in reality, only a few more losses for Oliveira separates these two in the grand scheme of things, as Holland boasts 21 wins to the Brazilian's 22. It should, however, be a relatively comfortable debut for Holland here, who could well find great success at welterweight with a stature of 6.2 ft, an 81" reach, and clear knockout power. Similar to Israel Adesanya at the weight Holland was once at (185), the American should find himself being able to beat on those much smaller than him, but at the same time, being the same weight.

Bryce Mitchell will look to continue his excellent rise in MMA as he faces out in the old-school 'striker versus grappler' matchup with Edson Barboza. Mitchell, just 27 years old, has won all 14 of his professional MMA bouts and with a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and an almighty nine wins from submission and five via decision, the American is favoured here to get another submission win. "Thug Nasty" just needs to get hold of Barboza here, which for a guy as deadly at striking as he is, is an almighty risk. It's one Mitchell is going to have to take though, as the longer this is on the feet, the 27-year-old is open to be completely put away and dismantled with Barboza's legendary kicks. Mitchell faces the toughest test of his career, and in shooting for takedown after takedown, he also must risk himself more than he ever has in the cage.

Rafael Fiziev is out of his match with dos Anjos, but steps in Renato Moicano to add even more questions into what was already a close fight to call. Fiziev was set to bring incredible muay Thai to the table for dos Anjos to deal with, but Moicano brings with him a solid striking pedigree and also a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Oddly enough, Fiziev beat Moicano back in December 2020 with a brutal set of punches, but the Brazilian has proved his worth and incredible versatility as a fighter since, as he came back with two submission wins inside the first two rounds against well-established names, Jai Herbert, and Alexander Hernandez. Dos Anjos remains the favourite, however, but with only two wins since 2018 and losses to Covington, Usman, Leon Edwards, and Michael Chiesa, the former champion has his work cut out despite being the 4/7 favourite, and we think he gets the job done.