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UFC 272 will take place on March 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event marks a rare occurrence when a UFC pay-per-view fight card is headlined by a non-title fight and one of the headliners is not Conor McGregor.
The bad blood between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington has been brewing for a long time and fans will finally get to witness the two welterweights settle their rivalry on Saturday.
There has also been a shake-up in the co-main event of UFC 272. Rafael dos Anjos was originally supposed to take on rising contender Rafael Fiziev. However, 'Ataman' had to drop out of the fight after testing positive for COVID-19.
Now, Renato Moicano has stepped in on short notice to take on the former UFC lightweight champ in a five-round co-main event clash.
Apart from the two fights at the top of the card, UFC 272 is filled with exciting matchups. Edson Barboza vs. Bryce Mitchell, Sergey Spivak vs. Greg Hardy and Kevin Holland vs. Alex Oliveira also feature on the main card of the event.
The prelims include intriguing scraps, including Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan and Jalin Turner vs. Jamie Mullarkey.
Let's take a look at five bold predictions for UFC 272.
#5. Sergey Spivak will finish Greg Hardy at UFC 272
Sergey Spivak and Greg Hardy are set to clash in a heavyweight showdown on the main card of UFC 272. Hardy has fought nine times in the UFC and has managed to come out victorious in only four of those bouts.
The 33-year-old's inexperience in fighting has been visible throughout his UFC career. In his debut in the promotion, 'Prince of War' landed an illegal knee that got him disqualified. In another fight, Hardy used an inhaler between rounds that overturned his victory to a no-contest. The Tennessee native is currently on a two-fight skid.
Spivak, meanwhile, has 13 wins on his record and 11 of those have been finishes (five knockouts and six submissions). During his run in the UFC, 'Polar Bear' has beaten fighters like Tai Tuivasa and Aleksei Oleinik.
So, there is a high chance that Hardy will once again fall short on March 5 and lose the fight via knockout or submission.
#4. Kevin Holland will knock Alex Oliveira out
After failing to secure a win in his last three fights as a middleweight, Kevin Holland has decided to move down to welterweight. 'Big Mouth' will take on UFC veteran Alex Oliveira on the main card of UFC 272.
Holland was never considered a big 185lber. Hence, the weight cut down to 170 should not be too hard for him. Despite his lean frame, the 29-year-old possesses legitimate knockout power that was on display in his fights against Anthony Hernandez, Joaquin Buckley and Ronaldo Souza.
Oliveira, meanwhile, is currently going through a rough patch in the UFC. 'Cowboy' has lost six of his last eight bouts and is on a three-fight skid. Oliveira appears to be past his prime and it does not look like he will return to winning ways at UFC 272.
What makes this prediction bold is that Oliveira has lost only one fight via knockout in his 36-fight MMA career. However, Holland's knockout power will likely translate well to the 170-pound division. So, there is a high chance of 'Big Mouth' stopping Oliveira on March 5.
#3. Bryce Mitchell will continue his undefeated run at UFC 272
Bryce Mitchell is on an incredible run in the UFC. With the help of his grappling skills, 'Thug Nasty' has overwhelmed his opponents on the ground and is currently 5-0 in the promotion. In his fight against Matt Sayles, Mitchell scored only the second-ever win via twister submission in UFC history.
Edson Barboza, on the other hand, has seen better days in his career as an MMA fighter. The Brazilian has only managed to win three out of his last nine fights and was knocked out in his last contest against Giga Chikadze.
There is also an age gap of nine years between the two fighters. So Mitchell, who is currently 14-0 overall as a fighter, has youth and momentum on his side. He will likely continue his undefeated run by beating the 36-year-old Barboza at UFC 272.
#2. Jalin Turner vs. Jamie Mullarkey will be 'Fight of the Night'
Jalin Turner and Jamie Mullarkey are two very exciting prospects trying to make their way up the UFC lightweight division.
Turner is currently on a three-fight win streak in the promotion. 'The Tarantula' has an overall MMA record of 11-5. All of Turner's wins have been finishes (eight knockouts and three submissions).
Mullarkey also possesses a highly exciting fighting style.The 27-year-old has managed to finish 13 of his 14 fights in MMA. Mullarkey has already received a 'Fight of the Night' bonus for his scrap against Brad Riddell at UFC 243.
The chances of this contest being boring are next to impossible. Both fighters are expected to bring their 'A' game on March 5 and the contest will likely be honored with the 'Fight of the Night'.
#1. Colby Covington will emerge victorious at UFC 272
The main event of UFC 272 will feature a welterweight scrap between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. The fact that a non-title fight is headlining the pay-per-view event is a testament to the popularity of 'Chaos' and 'Gamebred'.
The two welterweights used to be roommates and training partners. Later, things turned sour. Now, there is an intense animosity between the two. This storyline significantly adds to the excitement of the fans.
Despite losing both fights to Kamaru Usman, Covington has arguably posed the toughest challenge to the welterweight champion. On the other hand, 'Gamebred' did not offer much in his two fights with 'The Nigerian Nightmare'.
Covington relies on his elite grappling skills to win fights, which was evident in his bouts against Tyron Woodley and Rafael dos Anjos. He will likely stick to the same gameplan on March 5.
Masvidal, meanwhile, poses a threat to Covington in the striking department, but the 34-year-Californian can take a shot, as was seen in his fights against Usman.
The contest will likely play out in Covington's favor and he should be able to secure a decision victory over his friend-turned-foe.
