UFC 272 Betting Advice: Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal
After a chaotic press conference Thursday night that featured a lot of unintelligible screaming and profanity, Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal—former best friends turned bitter enemies—will finally settle their differences in the Octagon at UFC 272 live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. on Saturday night.
Covington, the No. 1 contender in the Welterweight division, comes in as a sizable favorite of over 3-1 over BMF Champ Masvidal. These fighters and former training partners have a lot in common and a lot to prove as both of them suffered losses in their last fights against the pound for pound and 185 champ Kamaru Usman.
Oddsmakers don’t have much faith in Masvidal, but underdog bettors are banking on his intense deep hatred of Covington being enough for him to cash some tickets. Our bettors provided their best bets for the card.
Check UFC 272 Odds at SI Sportsbook
Card: UFC 272: Covington vs Masvidal
Date: Saturday, March 5, 2022, 10 p.m. ET
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.
Early Prelims: 6 p.m. ET
Dustin Jacoby (-200) vs Michal Oleksiejczuk (+165)
Devonte Smith (-154) vs Ludovit Klein (+130)
Tim Elliott (+205) vs Tagir Ulanbekov (-250)
Brian Kelleher (+550) vs Umar Nurmagomedov (-800)
Prelims: 8 p.m. ET
Maryna Moroz (+155) vs Mariya Agapova (-188)
Nicolae Negumereanu (+115) vs Kennedy Nzechukwu (-138)
Marina Rodriguez (-275) vs Yan Xiaonan (+225)
Jalin Turner (-154) vs Jamie Mullarkey (+130)
Main Card 10 p.m. ET
Serghei Spivacv (-200) vs Greg Hardy (+165)
Kevin Holland (-350) vs Alex Oliveira (+275)
Edson Barboza (+138) vs Bryce Mitchell (-163)
Rafael Dos Anjos (-175) vs Renato Moicano (+145)
Colby Covington (-333) vs Jorge Masvidal (+275)
Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
SI MMA's Justin Barrasso:
UFC 272 is missing a certain sizzle. That would no longer be the case if Jorge Masvidal knocks out Colby Covington. Covington is the superior mixed martial artist, but Masvidal is the better striker. He is masterful at working the body, and a knockout blow is always within reach. I’m going with the underdog.
BET: Jorge Masvidal via KO (+350)
SI Video’s Julian Pinto:
In the main event, I have Colby Covington winning by decision. Covington's striking has really improved over the years and I think it is good enough to deal with Jorge Masvidal. I do not think Covington will win a lot of the striking exchanges, but I think Covington's striking will help him get into better potential grappling positions and that is where I think the fight will be won.
BET: Colby Covington via DEC (-125)
SI.com's Robin Lundberg:
Jorge Masvidal talks a big game but he is more of a marginal fighter, in my opinion. And while Colby Covington might not be everyone's favorite, he was able to stand in there with Kamaru Usman, which is more than Masvidal was capable of. Not to mention it's been nearly a year since Jorge has been in the Octagon. My money would be on Colby and him ending it early via KO or TKO as this likely won't be a long fight.
BET: Colby Covington via KO (+300)
SI Video’s Doug Vazquez:
One of the more intriguing fights comes from the featherweight division, as No. 11 Bryce “Thug Nasty” Mitchell takes on No. 10 Edson Barboza. The odds at SI Sportsbook are pretty evenly matched (Barboza +138, Mitchell -163), and in a fight like this that features a veteran in Barboza against and undefeated prospect in Mitchell, I will grab the plus-money and take Barboza to win. As long as Barboza is able to keep this fight standing up, I think the pressure he will bring is something Mitchell has not seen in his 5-0 UFC career. Mitchell is a very accomplished grappler, but Barboza is excellent in takedown defense with him stopping 78% of attempted shots in his career. My head tells me that this fight goes the distance with Barboza coming away with the decision but my heart tells me to sprinkle a little bit of action on him winning via KO.
BET: Edson Barboza (+138); Look at via KO (+300)
Check the Latest Odds at SI Sportsbook
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