Colby Covington opens as sizable betting favorite over Jorge Masvidal in UFC 272 grudge match

There’s big money to be made if you think Jorge Masvidal will beat Colby Covington at UFC 272.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] is expected to beat [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in their long-awaited grudge match at UFC 272, at least according to oddsmakers.

Covington (16-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) and Masvidal (35-15 MMA, 12-8 UFC) were once roommates and frequent training partners at American Top Team in South Florida. The relationship evaporated, however, when the pair turned on each other as they made parallel rises to the top of the UFC welterweight division.

Ultimately, Covington parted ways with ATT and joined MMA Masters in Miami, but the separation only caused things to get more personal between them, with some deep verbal attacks being traded in interviews and on social media.

It will all come to a head March 5 when Covington meets Masvidal in the UFC 272 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The opening betting odds, according to Tipico Sportsbook, have Covington as a -330 favorite, meaning a $330 bet on “Chaos” would yield $100 in return. Masvidal, meanwhile, is a +260 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on “Gamebred” would bring $260 in return.

Covington, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, is coming off a title-fight loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 in November. It was the second time he’d unsuccessfully challenged Usman for the belt, but the 33-year-old has given the champion his sternest test in both encounters.

Covington will attempt to start the case for a third title shot against No. 9 Masvidal, who is chasing the same thing. Masvidal is recently removed from back-to-back title-fight losses to Usman, which the latter coming by highlight-reel knockout at UFC 261 in April.

The 37-year-old was supposed to fight Leon Edwards at December’s UFC 269 event in what would’ve been another long-awaited grudge match, but he was forced to withdraw due to a rib injury.

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