Michael Bisping explains why Jorge Masvidal should not be underestimated heading into Colby Covington grudge match at UFC 272
Michael Bisping has suggested that Jorge Masvidal shouldn’t be underestimated heading into his grudge match against Colby Covington. Friends-turned-foes Masvidal and Covington are scheduled to clash in a five-round welterweight bout that’ll headline UFC 272 on March 5th.
During a Q&A session on Bisping’s YouTube channel, a fan suggested that Colby Covington would win every round and then perhaps knock out his former teammate Jorge Masvidal. ‘The Count’ responded by stating:
“Ooh, I don’t know, buddy. I don’t know. I think people are underestimating Jorge Masvidal. Listen, Colby’s good. Colby’s really f**king good.”
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Bisping referenced Masvidal’s second-round KO loss to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 261 in April 2021. Furthermore, he pointed out that Covington, too, suffered a knockout loss against Usman in their first encounter at UFC 245 in December 2019.
‘The Count’ insinuated that being defeated by the No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound UFC fighter Kamaru Usman doesn’t necessarily diminish Masvidal or Covington’s abilities. Bisping said:
“No, listen, Masvidal’s good. I think people are underestimating him. Yes, he got clipped off Usman and got knocked out. Happens. Usman is one of the best, and he caught him with a beautiful punch. Do not let that sway your verdict or your assessment of their abilities. Covington got stopped off Usman in the fifth round, of course. And we know that Covington protested that, but still. Masvidal’s got tons of experience. He’s got decent Jiu-Jitsu. He’s a good scrambler. He’s got good takedown defense. And they know each other. They’ve sparred a lot. So, I don’t know if he’s gonna win every single round, buddy.”
Watch Michael Bisping address the Masvidal-Covington matchup and more in the video below:
Gilbert Burns foresees Jorge Masvidal finishing Colby Covington at UFC 272
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns recently spoke to The Schmo regarding the highly-anticipated fight between Masvidal and Covington. Burns – who’s himself on a quest to capture welterweight gold – pointed out that most people believe that Covington will easily beat ‘Gamebred’ with his relentless takedowns.
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Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal will headline UFC 272 on March 5, UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell told @bokamotoESPN. Contracts have not been signed, but the bout is nearly finalized. https://t.co/n1FclaclwU
The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu savant noted that he disagrees with the aforementioned hypothesis. He highlighted that being beaten by ‘Chaos’ would mean a third consecutive loss for Masvidal. On that note, ‘Durinho’ feels Masvidal is pulling out all the stops in his ongoing training camp. Burns said:
“I think Masvidal is working super hard, I know he’s working hard, I know a couple of his teammates. I’m going for the upset, I’m going for Masvidal to win. He can hurt Colby on the body, and then later rounds get the finish. I see Masvidal getting a finish, to be honest. It’ll be a fricking crazy fight."
Watch Gilbert Burns' full interview below: