Jorge Masvidal feels he missed a big opportunity to turn the tide in his grudge match against Colby Covington at UFC 272.
Masvidal fell via a unanimous decision to his former friend turned rival Covington. It was a war that lived up to the hype, but Covington got the better of a majority of the exchanges on the feet and ground.
Masvidal nearly rallied in Round 4 after landing a massive right hook to Covington’s chin midway through the round. The punch dropped Covington immediately, and he appeared badly wobbled by the blow.
However, instead of pushing forward with pressure and attempting to finish the fight, Masvidal appeared hesitant to pull the trigger and follow up the big punch.
During his UFC 272 post-fight press conference, Masvidal talked about that moment and his regrets about not capitalizing on the opportunity.
“Shit, and then I didn’t pounce on him after I dropped him,” Masvidal lamented. “I wasn’t surprised that he bounced up. I was surprised that I didn’t go and take his head off. I thought he was gonna shoot immediately on me, so I just (was) thinking of the wrong shit instead of just go and take his head off. I was tired; he was tired and hurt.
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“That was my chance right there. That was that window of five, six seconds to give it all I got, and make a sprint, and make a big change. Maybe I could’ve made that round 10-8, 10-7, who knows? But I didn’t take that opening.”
Masvidal has now lost three fights in a row, including back-to-back defeats to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. His last win came against Nate Diaz in their BMF title matchup at UFC 244.
Masvidal signed a new deal with the UFC leading up to the fight with Covington and remains one of the promotion’s biggest stars. But he’ll need to get back in the win column in his next UFC outing to potentially earn a rematch against Covington down the line.
What were your thoughts on Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal?
