Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Professional fighters risk everything each time they step into the octagon, but the upcoming fight between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington could be a career-ender for the former. The welterweights are set to stand toe-to-toe with each other at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, at UFC 272 on March 5, with one MMA expert predicting this could be the end of the road for Masvidal if he does not come away with a victory.
Chael Sonnen, a former professional MMA star who has turned his attention to the world of MMA analysis, claims the upcoming bout has the potential to be a career-ending fight for Masvidal. Sonnen said on his popular YouTube channel, “In all fairness, I’ve really got to show respect to Masvidal because this is a career-ending fight. It is that big of a deal. There will be that much attention, and that much focus, and that much hatred going into this battle that Jorge, who is the second biggest draw in combat right now, who’s coming off of two defeats, if he goes out there and he gets taken down, and he gets mauled for 25 minutes, it is going to take a lot of luster off of the shine that is the No. 2, the sport’s second-biggest draw, the BMF, Jorge Masvidal.”
Both Masvidal and Covington Have Lost Twice to Usman
Licensed under CC BY 2.0
Sonnen’s comments follow Masvidal’s back-to-back defeats against the UFC Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. Masvidal lost by unanimous decision at UFC 251 before Usman knocked out Masvidal in the second round of their UFC 261 clash, which was only the second time in 50 fights that Masvidal has been stopped. The latest odds from the best Vegas betting sites suggest Masvidal is a massive underdog against Colby Covington. Could this really be the end for the 37-year-old?
In all fairness, most of today’s crop of UFC fighters would lose to Usman because “The Nigerian Nightmare” is a formidable opponent. Since defeating Tyron Woodley for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 235, the current number one pound-for-pound star has successfully defended his title five times as part of a 19 fight winning streak. Usman not only beat Masvidal twice but also Covington, including at UFC 268 in November 2021.
Covington has only lost three of his 19 professional fights, and two of those defeats came in his last three battles; he lost both to Usman. The man affectionately known as “Chaos” has undoubted talent – you do not become the interim UFC Welterweight Champion without some serious skills – but he lacks the ability to tap out opponents. Only four of Covington’s 16 wins have been knockouts. Similarly, he has four wins via submission; his other eight victories have come from the judges.
Covington is an Overwhelming Favorite
The latest odds pitch Covington around the -330 mark with Masvidal available at +260, but the fight should be much closer than those markets suggest. One has to remember that Masvidal’s first defeat against the seemingly unstoppable Usman came after he took the fight with only one day’s notice. Before that fight, Masvidal dispatched Darren Till (KO), Ben Askren (KO) and won the symbolic “BMF” championship against Nate Diaz after doctors stopped the fight. Masvidal is certainly no pushover and has a lot riding on this clash. He knows defeating Covington could lead to a lucrative third title shot against Usman.
Masvidal responded to Sonnen’s career-ending comments in true Masvidal style. “I like him [Sonnen] because Chael is the type of guy that will go back and apologize. So when I f**king murder Colby, he has to be like ‘Holy s**t, this guy deserves a title fight.’”
Regardless of Masvidal’s UFC career being on the line or not, his battle with Covington at UFC 272 has all the hallmarks of being an all-time classic encounter.