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Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 272, which took place Saturday in Las Vegas.
What mattered most at UFC 272 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
“Sometimes you’ve got to take out the student to take out the OG,” Kevin Holland said.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] already defeated one “Cowboy,” but has walked back his callout of a second one.
In the cage after his UFC 272 TKO win against Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira, Holland (22-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) indicated he’d be willing to take out another “Cowboy,” subtly indicating [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag], who sat cageside in Las Vegas.
However, at his post-fight news conference Saturday after his successful return to welterweight, Holland back-tracked his callout and focused on a different name instead. Rather than fight the “OG,” Holland is interested in a bout against Cerrone’s protege, Daniel Rodriguez. Holland was scheduled to fight Rodriguez (16-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 9 in May 2020, but withdrew due to injury.
“I was just throwing up stupid sh*t,” Holland said, of the original callout. “I be just talking. I think the the other ‘Cowboy’ and me should not fight, to be honest with you. I think I should be fighting Daniel Rodriguez next, just because last time I called out ‘Cowboy,’ Daniel Rodriguez hopped in my inbox and was like, ‘Yo, don’t do that. That’s my OG.’ So respect to both of those guys.
“Of course I’d like to fight the OG, but sometimes you’ve got to take out the student to take out the OG. If I take out the student, I don’t even really feel like I need to take out the OG. It’d be nice to have the name on the board, but at the end of the day, I’m a big ‘Cowboy’ fan. So, it probably wouldn’t even make me feel as good as I think it would.”
With a reputation built on being an “anywhere, anyone, anytime” fighter during his middleweight days, Holland said he’s going to take it a tad slower at welterweight now that he’s cutting weight. However, his pace is still accelerated compared to the average fighter, he indicated.
“Honestly, I don’t f*cking know,” Holland said. “I just want to fight. I just want to fight. I’ll fight everybody. … I can fight way more frequently at 185, of course. At 170, I do need some weeks to make sure my body adjusts and does everything right. I do not want to have a bad weight cut ever.
“… Even when I win a fight at 185, I’m like, ‘You lucky bastard.’ It’s just one of those things. I always say I could be a better athlete, a more professional athlete. Back in the day, when I used to cut to 170, I used to be so mean to my mom. I used to be so mean to my little brother. I used to be so mean to everybody around me when I used to cut weight. I didn’t want to be that person again. I was happy to be out here for two weeks and not be around the family. But I didn’t even get an attitude like this this time.”
UFC 272 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The main card streamed on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
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He didn’t get the victory at UFC 272, but Renato Moicano may have earned some new fans for the heart displayed.
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] was bloodied, swollen and beaten at UFC 272, but his spirit doesn’t appear to be broken.
In his lopsided loss to former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] over the course of five rounds Saturday in Las Vegas, Moicano (16-5-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) absorbed a tremendous amount of damage and lost a unanimous decision.
Shortly after his fight, MMA Junkie learned from his manager, Oren Hodak of KO Reps, that Moicano was transported to the hospital for further evaluation. Hours later, Moicano was cleared and released. He then posted a statement to his Instagram account, which voiced pride and positivity.
“No excuses, thanks Rafael dos Anjos and @ufc for this opportunity,” Moicano wrote. “This defeat doesn’t define me. I’m not a loser, because I lost. And I’m not a winner when I win. I’m victorious in life, the way I handle myself with my family and my team. Thanks God, this is a great time to be alive. Never forget, I’m always chasing the BIG MONEY PORRA!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CawYDMNLN_N/
Renato Moicano was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation after his #UFC272 loss to Rafael dos Anjos, per his manager @ko_reps. pic.twitter.com/i5BuUjbvHI
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) March 6, 2022
Moicano, 32, took the 160-pound catchweight fight against dos Anjos on four days’ notice. He flew from Brasilia, Brazil, and spent nearly 20 hours on a plane cutting weight Wednesday. The appearance came three weeks after his UFC 271 victory over Alexander Hernandez and snapped a two-fight winning streak.
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With the situation in her home country of Ukraine worsening by the day, Maryna Moroz had plenty on her mind outside her fight at UFC 272.
LAS VEGAS – With the situation in her home country of Ukraine getting worse by the day, [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag] had plenty on her mind outside her fight at UFC 272.
That Moroz (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) made the walk to the cage at all at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas should be lauded. That she submitted Mariya Agapova (10-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) with a second-round rear-naked choke as an underdog should have been trumpeted – and it was in the form of a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus.
Moroz said her heart was heavy in the week leading up to the fight in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I had a lot of pressure,” Moroz said in her post-fight news conference. “I was nervous about the war in Ukraine. All this week, I felt nervous, I was crying. But I tried to focus. … It was really hard for me because I see in Ukraine how terrible the situation is. But I focused, and I won the fight.”
Moroz also had another storyline hanging over her head. She and Agapova are former teammates, and there had been some bad blood leading into the matchup. And while it never rose to the level of bad blood in the UFC 272 main event between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, it was there nonetheless.
Still, Moroz seemed to bury the hatchet with Agapova after she tapped her out.
“I told her good luck in the next fight,” Moroz said. “We had a good fight, and thank you for fighting. … I’m not mad, because if I’m mad, it takes my emotions. It takes my energy, and I need my energy. So no emotions – calm, respect, and that’s it.”
Moroz said the paperwork is in place to extend her work visa, so she won’t have to return to her wartorn homeland for now. She said she’ll get an appropriate amount of rest after her win over Agapova and hopes to return in the summer against a higher ranked opponent.
But without question, her thoughts will be constantly on the developments in Ukraine, where many of her family and friends remain.
“It’s hard. My mother’s nervous, and I’m nervous about my mother,” she said. “I don’t want the Russian people to come and kill my family. Many of my friends are dying right now. The Russian army is killing (them). I feel terrible. I think if somebody comes and kills my family … I don’t want that. I want people to listen: Stop this, because I want to save my family.”
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Colby Covington has all the bragging rights over his former best friend, Jorge Masvidal, after beating him at UFC 272.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] handled [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] with relative ease in the UFC 272 headliner, leaving no doubt about who the better fighter was all those years they trained together at American Top Team and who the better fighter is right now.
“I’m the king of Miami now,” Covington told reporters during the post-fight news conference at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “Jorge needs to leave the city. It’s not big enough for the two of us. He needs to leave, or he’s gonna get sparked again.”
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what you call bragging rights. You earn them after a lopsided unanimous decision victory over your former best friend-turned enemy the way Covington racked up scores of 49-46, 50-44 and 50-45 on the judges’ scorecards.
The highly anticipated showdown took place after more than two years of Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) trashing each other in interviews and on social media. It played out how many expected, with Covington asserting his dominance through wrestling and ground-and-pound. He also showed sharp skills in the striking department.
“Nothing in there surprised me. Another dominant finish, you know, whooped his ass from second 1 to minute 25,” Covington said. “You could see in his body language he had nothing more left in the fight. I was ready for five more rounds in the parking lot. If he wants to keep doing this, we could go for five more rounds in the parking lot. Bring out another guy, American Trash Team, man. They need to keep sending guys to me, but don’t be expecting to get them back in one piece. I’m ready to take two of those fighters in one night. The king of Miami showed out tonight.”
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Even after saying those words, Covington was critical of the way he fought, admitting that the personal nature of the feud got to him.
“It wasn’t my best performance. Just a lot of emotions going into it, you know?” Covington said. “That was a real friend of mine at one point in my career. He’s just such a backstabbing thief, and he talks so reckless, and he’s tried to make some false narratives to the media, make a lot of lies like he does. He’s a liar. He’s a thief. I let the emotions get the best of me, but it was still dominant. I just showed how good I was, that I am the No. 1 fighter in the world for a reason, and it wasn’t even competitive tonight.”
A lot was made about the fact that Covington gave up pay-per-view points for this fight, while Masvidal signed a new contract this week that allegedly makes him one of the top-five highest paid fighters in the promotion.
Covington indicated Masvidal was smart to secure that deal before UFC 272 arrived and took another jab at his old pal.
“There’s a reason he signed that contract before he fought me tonight,” Covington said. “He knew he couldn’t beat me. He knew if he put up his best performance like he did tonight, that was my worst performance, and it was still an easy night of work for me.”
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The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including to the promotion’s only female fighter from war-torn Ukraine.
The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including to the promotion’s only female fighter from war-torn Ukraine.
After UFC 272, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.
Who were the winners at UFC 272 in Las Vegas?
If a “King of Miami” title was on the line at UFC 272, it now belongs to Colby Covington.
If a “King of Miami” title was on the line at UFC 272, it now belongs to [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] – although [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] most certainly would disagree.
Masvidal had one big moment, but Covington overall used his superior grappling and fast pace to control the fight en route to a 49-46, 50-44, 50-45 unanimous decision win in their welterweight headliner Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Covington Colby Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) vs. Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) was billed as a fight between former best friends turned bitter rivals, guaranteed to bring the heat. It ended up being a mostly one-sided affair between the former best friends and American Top Team teammates-turned enemies. As the fight came to an end with Covington in mount, they had to remain separated by security.
Covington set the tone right from the start once he got Masvidal down to the mat in the first round. Covington consistently threatened with chokes and small hammerfists, but the damage never was heavy. Still, it sent a message about what Masvidal was in for.
Round 2 was much closer, however, with Masvidal landing hard leg kicks. Masvidal clipped Covington with a hard elbow at one point. The fight was briefly stopped because of a low blow by Covington, but Masvidal came out of it strong, landing some of his best striking in the fight.
Round 3 was all Covington, who mauled Masvidal for almost all five minutes. But Round 4 is where things got interesting for a moment after Masvidal landed a hard count-right hook that dropped Covington to one knee late in the round. Masvidal, however, couldn’t pounce for a finish because of fatigue, which allowed Covington to recover.
In Round 5, Colby quickly closed the distance, got the fight to the mat and finished strong to secure a lopsided decision win.
“I was offbeat with the wrestling. I needed to wrestle harder,” Masvidal told Joe Rogan afterward. “… My wrestling wasn’t there today. I was flat.”
With his octagon mic time, Covington shifted his attention to another former ATT teammate in Dustin Poirier, with whom he’s also feuded in recent months.
“I just took care of Miami street trash. Now it’s time to take care of Louisiana swamp trash,” Covington said.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 272 results include:
See the top Twitter reactions to Colby Covington’s dominant victory against bitter rival Jorge Masvidal in the UFC 272 main event.
[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] emerged victorious from his grudge match with [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC 272
In the long-awaited welterweight headliner, Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) defeated his former roommate, teammate and training partner Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) by unanimous decision in the apex moment of their feud at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Covington’s victory over Masvidal at UFC 272.
Former champion Rafael dos Anjos put on a dominant showing, outpointing Renato Moicano at UFC 272.
[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] continued a successful campaign since his return to lightweight with a dominant win Saturday.
The former UFC champion put on an impressive showing against short-notice replacement [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] at UFC 272. Dos Anjos (31-13 MMA, 20-11 UFC) defeated Moicano (16-5-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC) 49-45, 49-44, and 50-44 to win a unanimous decision.
The 160-pound catchweight bout was the UFC 272 co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It was a wild fight that showcased dos Anjos’ still remaining elite ability and Moicano’s heart and toughness.
Almost immediately into the first round, Moicano closed the distance and presses dos Anjos against the cage. Dos Anjos was able to break away and they began to exchange on the feet. Shortly after, dos Anjos took the fight to the ground. From there, he began to slowly accumulate ground-and-pound on Moicano. The former champion maintained top control until the bell.
Round 2 had a quick start with both fighters immediately exchanging on the feet. Dos Anjos had the most success, landing the harder shots, but Moicano was able to fire back a few of his own. Moicano looked a bit slow and fatigued as the fight went on and it appeared dos Anjos was clearly the fresher and more explosive fighter. Halfway through the round, dos Anjos took the fight to the ground and began to work ground-and-pound for the remaining of the frame.
Moicano seemed to get a second wind in the third. He landed good combinations and appeared to have more pop than previous rounds. In an exchange, dos Anjos caught Moicano with a left high kick and dropped him to the canvas. He came close to stopping Moicano on the ground, but Moicano did a good job at defending and was able to tie up dos Anjos and see the round out.
Battered from the ground-and-pound, Moicano entered the fourth with what seemed little to offer. However, he landed good combinations on dos Anjos and was beating him on the feet until a takedown from dos Anjos two minutes in. From there, once again, it was all dos Anjos. Steadily, dos Anjos landed ground-and-pound until the bell rang.
Entering the fifth, referee Marc Goddard warned Moicano that he was close to stopping the fight and he needed to show more life in the bout. Moicano managed to make the fight competitive, stuffing dos Anjos’ takedowns and landing solid combinations on the feet. It was an exciting end to a fight that was primarily once sided in favor of the former champ.
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With the result, dos Anjos now finds himself on a two-fight winning streak since moving back to lightweight. The 37-year-old went 4-4 at welterweight before dropping back to 155 pounds in late 2020. He defeated Paul Felder in a decision in his return to lightweight.
Moicano was coming off an impressive submission win over Alexander Hernandez three weeks ago at UFC 271. He’s now 3-2 since moving up to the lightweight division in March 2020. His lone loss prior to the defeat at UFC 272 was to current rising contender, and the man he replaced at UFC 272, Rafael Fiziev. Moicano was a ranked top-10 contender at featherweight before moving up a weight class.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 272 results include:
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