Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington to Headline UFC 272 Card in Las Vegas

UFC is planning to have Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington headline UFC 272 on March 5, according to ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell confirmed to Okamoto that the fighters have yet to officially sign contracts but that the matchup is close to being finalized.

Covington is No. 1 in the UFC's welterweight rankings. Masvidal sits sixth in the division.

Masvidal is coming off back-to-back losses at the hands of welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, the most recent of which was at UFC 261 last April. Covington unsuccessfully challenged Usman for the belt at UFC 268 in November.

Neither Masvidal nor Covington is afraid to speak his mind, so generating interest in their encounter won't be difficult. There's also a personal edge between the two, which will add to the drama.

Covington told MMA News' James Lynch he had been friends with Masvidal but claimed the Miami native became jealous as his star began to rise. Their friendship now is nonexistent:

"So I don’t want to have to do it in the streets, but this is a personal fight, James. This is as real as it gets, like the UFC’s saying goes. And anybody that thinks we’re still friends, man, I don’t know what they’re thinking, man. They must be smoking some good weed or something."

Masvidal called out Covington on social media last week (warning: tweet contains profanity):

As long as Usman remains the champion, getting another opportunity at the gold is likely to be difficult for Masvidal and Covington. Crossing paths is a great way for the winner to remain relevant within the division while collecting a nice paycheck at the same time.