UFC 272 is built entirely around its main event, which has the potential to be explosive–or a massive disappointment.
Premier welterweight contenders Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington meet in a grudge match to settle long-standing issues. While some of the back-and-forth is contrived (I’m jaded, I suppose, from my years covering pro wrestling), there is a big-enough kernel of truth in their frustrations with each other to make this legitimate. Yet even with a compelling backstory, they also need to deliver in the cage. That will not be the case if Covington pins Masvidal against the cage for 25 minutes. Though that could be a successful pathway to victory for Covington, it would lead to an extremely boring fight.
There are also questions about the rest of the card. Without a title fight, 272 is lacking a certain excitement. Perhaps that will change if Sergey Spivak puts Greg Hardy to sleep, or if Bryce Mitchell can pick up the biggest win of his career against Edson Barboza. Had Islam Makhachev returned to the cage a week after dismantling Bobby Green, it would have added a whole new air of anticipation currently missing from 272. There will be no mistaking Makhachev with Renato Moicano, a talented fighter but not one likely to steal the show in his bout against Rafael dos Anjos.
