Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal will finally settle their long-time beef at UFC 272 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Having lost in their previous bouts, both men will look to map their way back into the win column to earn a shot at the welterweight gold. However, the head coach of American Kickboxing Academy, Javier Mendez, claimed ‘Gamebred’ cannot afford to lose the fight.
In an interview with Helen Yee Sports and The Schmo, Mendez said, “I think if Jorge loses it, I think he can wrap it. He’s just gonna fight specialty fights because he is such a huge name and fan-favorite, then he can go on fight.”
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“But I think he’s gonna he’s older he is much older. You know, what is he? 36, 37… He’s the one that can’t afford to lose. Colby losses, he is still young enough to rebound three-four more wins and he could be back in the title contention. So one is bad for the other is not as bad.”
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Covington and Masvidal are both prominent names in the promotion. However, neither man has won the 170 lbs title.
Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington lost twice against Kamaru Usman
‘Chaos’ won the interim title and fought against ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ at UFC 245 in 2019. This was his first shot at the welterweight gold. Unfortunately, the champion knocked out the Californian in the fifth round of the fight.
Later, ‘Chaos’ bagged one more win and earned his second shot at the welterweight gold. This time around, Covington gave a tough fight to the champion, but lost the fight via a unanimous decision at UFC 268.
‘Gamebred’ clashed against ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ for the first time at UFC 251 and lost. Later, he faced the champion in a much-anticipated rematch at UFC 261 and suffered a vicious KO in the second round.
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As both Covington and Masvidal want another shot at the welterweight title, their UFC 272 bout has a lot on the line.
What are your thoughts on Mendez’s words? Are you excited for the grudge match? Share your views in the comments section below.