One of the biggest fights that can be made in the UFC right now is No. 1 ranked welterweight Colby Covington vs. No. 4 ranked Jorge Masvidal. Covington and Masvidal, both major names in the sport, are former training partners who are now bitter rivals, and the winner could establish themselves as the next in line for a title shot behind No. 2 ranked Gilbert Burns.
Covington (16-2) defeated former welterweight champ Tyron Woodley in September 2020 by fifth-round TKO and immediately called out Masvidal and welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.
Masvidal (35-14) is coming off a loss to Usman in July 2020, a fight he took on less than a week’s notice. He was defeated by unanimous decision and after the fight, stated that he wanted an immediate rematch. Since then, Masvidal has gone virtually silent about his fighting future and likely needs to win another fight before earning a rematch. And a win over Covington could be the UFC “Baddest Motherf****r’s” quickest path to another title fight.
GettyJorge Masvidal & Colby Covington
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UFC President Dana White Thinks the Fight Will Happen Next
However, it’s been around fourth months since “Chaos” challenged Masvidal and a fight has still not been booked. UFC president Dana White recently spoke with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto and revealed that he believes that fight will happen, however making a match this big is “a lot harder” than people realize.
“It’s not that it’s stalled,” White said. “When we start talking about making fights, making big fights, [they] are a lot harder than I think the media and the public realize. I believe that that fight will happen. I just don’t know when yet.”
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Usman vs. Burns Will Take Place in February, According to ESPN
The next divisional title fight at 170 pounds will take place on February 13 at UFC 258, sources confirmed to ESPN earlier this month. According to the outlet, contracts have yet to be signed, however both parties have agreed to the fight.
Usman (17-1) won the welterweight belt in March 2019 when he dethroned Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 via unanimous decision.
He has subsequently defended the belt twice, defeating Covington by fifth-round TKO and Masvidal by unanimous decision. “The Nigerian Nightmare” will attempt to keep extend his win streak to 17 by defeating Burns next month.
Since returning to the welterweight division in 2019, “Durinho” has gone 4-0, defeating the likes of Woodley, Demian Maia and Gunnar Nelson. Burns (19-3) secured his spot as the next contender for Usman’s throne in May 2020 when he defeated Woodley and he was scheduled to fight the champion in July. However, Burns contracted COVID-19 and was forced out of the bout and was replaced by Masvidal.
The winner of Usman vs. Burns could find themselves defending the belt next against the winner of Masvidal vs. Covington.
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Jorge Masvidal: ‘I Believe That Fight Will Happen,’ UFC Says