UFC 272: Colby Covington dominates Jorge Masvidal in grudge match; China’s Yan Xiaonan suffers controversial loss to Marina Rodriguez
- Covington wins unanimous decision in Saturday’s main event, and tells lightweight contender Dustin Poirier to ‘name the site’ for fight
- In undercard action, Chinese strawweight Yan loses razor-close decision to surging Brazilian contender Rodriguez
Colby Covington got the last laugh in his long-festering rivalry with Jorge Masvidal.
The pair used to be training partners at American Top Team in Florida, and even shared a flat for a brief period. After a highly publicised falling out, they were given the chance to settle their differences in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 272 card in Las Vegas.
Covington made it look easy. The 34-year-old American (17-3) got to work with his wrestling early, and did not relent. Masvidal enjoyed a brief moment of success in round four, stinging his rival with a right hand, but failed to capitalise and was otherwise dominated.
By the time the fifth and final round concluded, there could be no other result than a unanimous decision in Covington’s favour.
The victory separated Covington from a competitive decision loss to reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman late last year – his second loss to the champ after a fifth-round TKO defeat in 2019.
