"He wants to absolutely murder the guy" - Michael Bisping gives backstage update on Jorge Masvidal's frame of mind heading into UFC 272

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Jorge Masvidal [left] and Colby Covington [right] (Images courtesy of @ufc IG)

Michael Bisping recently revealed that Jorge Masvidal is looking to punish Colby Covington when the octagon door closes at UFC 272.

'The Count' sat down with both Covington and Masvidal for interviews ahead of the fight. There are suggestions that the back-and-forth insults and the seeming hatred for each other is just a carefully orchestrated act to get people to watch. However, Bisping has dismissed the notion that the rivalry is not real.

In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, the former middleweight champion stated that both fighters harbor a bitter animosity towards each other:

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"They can't f****** stand one another. I just talked to Jorge for about 25 minutes. He has this look in his eyes like he wants to absolutely murder the guy. Trust me, I've been there, I've been on the receiving end. He's not a man to mess around and he's talking. He said a lot of things. He's saying, 'Listen, Colby is talking about my ex-wife, he's talking about my children'... those things are off the table. Jorge said, 'My daughter is 13 years old, she has a phone, she sees things. He's putting her in a awkward position, he's putting her in a difficult situation.'"

Watch Michael Bisping talk about Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal:

Masvidal and Covington used to be teammates at the American Top Team gym. Furthermore, they were roommates and became very good friends.

That friendship turned sour when Covington allegedly didn't pay Masvidal's long-time trainer Paulino Hernandez, who also worked with 'Chaos' as a striking coach.

Both fighters will get the chance to let out their pent-up emotions in just a matter of hours in the main event of UFC 272.

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Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal: What is the time of the fight?

The UFC 272 pay-per-view main card is scheduled to start at 7 PM PT/ 10 PM ET on Saturday in the United States. Fans in the UK will have to stay up late as the main card will start at 3 AM GMT on Sunday. For Indian fans, the main card will commence at 8:30 AM IST on Sunday.

Watch the final face-off between Covington and Masvidal ahead of UFC 272:

The top of the stacked card sees a much-awaited grudge match between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. Both fighters are coming off losses to current champion Kamaru Usman in rematches after also losing in their first attempts to dethrone 'The Nigerian Nightmare'.

Covington is favored going into the bout due to his wrestling prowess. However, one cannot discount Masvidal's ability to end the fight in an instant. Furthermore, you can argue that the Californian needs the win more than his opponent.

Jorge Masvidal is clearly the bigger star. He can always fall back on other bouts, such as a blockbuster rematch with Nate Diaz, even if he is unsuccessful on Saturday night.

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