Dana White praises Colby Covington ahead of UFC 272: “He should definitely be in the pound-for-pound list”

UFC 272 takes place this coming weekend, Saturday March 5th at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

The main event will feature Colby Covington (16-3 MMA) vs Jorge Masvidal (35-15 MMA) in the welterweight division.

Covington last fought in November of 2021 at UFC 268, falling by defeat to Kamaru Usman (20-1 MMA) by unanimous decision. It was to be Colbys’ second loss to ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’, as he succumbed to defeat by knockout in 2019 at UFC 245 in the final minute of the fifth round.

Masvidal last fought in April of 2021 at UFC 261, the outcome being a KO in the second round by Kamaru Usman. It was to be Jorges’ second loss to Usman, after meeting him back in 2020 at UFC 251 and going down to defeat.

It’s a much anticipated match-up and Dana White has spoken out on YouTube on ‘Yahoo Sports‘ with Kevin Iole, praising Covington ahead of the fight:

“The truth is, if Kamaru Usman doesn’t exist, Colby Covington is the 170 lb champion of the UFC.”

Iole asked about why Colby isn’t on the pound for pound list, is it Colby’s smack talk and does he gets overlooked for how really good he is, White responded:

“I agree with you 100%. Colby should be in the pound for pound list. I agree with you, the fact that he’s so unliked, I think it makes him easy to be overlooked.”

Image via @colbycovmma on Instagram (photographer not listed)

Dana White went on the say that a win over Colby Covington would be massive for Jorge Masvidal.

The personal stakes between the friends turned rivals are very high, as both fighters would like to match-up for a trilogy fight with Kamaru Usman in the near future.

Will you be watching UFC 272 this weekend? Who are you betting on to be the victor, Chaos or Gamebred? Share you predictions in the comment section PENN Nation!