Israel Adesanya states what factor will be "the difference" in Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington fight at UFC 272
![Israel Adesanya weighs in on Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington [Photo credit: YouTube.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/03/1ce3c-16461263201513-1920.jpg?w=500)
Israel Adesanya provided a breakdown of the UFC 272 main event clash between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington.
'The Last Stylebender' has revealed what he believes could be the difference-maker in the matchup. During an episode of Stylebender Breakdown on his YouTube channel, Adesanya said:
"This is one thing, when you trained together with someone, certain things stick. Certain things stick like you just know this guy does this better than me. And I do this better than this guy. They both know who's better at what. Jorge, he can hang for five rounds and so can Colby. ... For me, it's the striking, I think, that might be the difference in this fight. Clean striking."
The middleweight champion didn't specify who he believes has the advantage. However, it's safe to assume that Adesanya's pick is Masvidal, who's regarded as the better striker out of the two UFC 272 combatants.
Adesanya also shared his thoughts on the personal history between the rivals. According to the Kiwi champ, it's the narrative of the fight that hypes him up the most. The 32-year-old said:
"I like this fight, I like the bad blood, you know. Brothers to rivals, you know. The story behind. I always love a good... I love a beef. I like static. You know I like a little bit of static in my life. The story of this fight is what makes it, to be honest. It's been building up for years as well."
Check out Israel Adesanya's breakdown of Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington below:
Colby Covington wants Israel Adesanya after Jorge Masvidal
Colby Covington is aware that, win or lose on Saturday, he's a long way from earning another welterweight title shot against Kamaru Usman.
However, 'Chaos' said he's hoping a victory over Jorge Masvidal could propel him to a title fight against middleweight king Israel Adesanya. During an interview with Yahoo! Sports, the multi-time UFC title challenger said:
"I'm not opposed to going up to 185 pounds and beating up 'Stylebender' [Israel Adesanya]. That guy, he’s not a well-rounded fighter. He can’t keep up with my pace. I know I can take him down and drown him. So there’s a lot of options out there for me. If I don’t get a chance to do my third fight with Usman, then it’s okay."
However, UFC president Dana White believes that Covington needs to prove himself at middleweight first. In an interview with TMZ, White said that 'Chaos' needs to beat either Robert Whittaker or Jared Cannonier for him to "even be in the discussion."
Check out Dana White's thoughts on Colby Covington moving up to middleweight below: