UFC 272 takeaways: Who's next for Covington? Is it time for the UFC to cut Greg Hardy?

Colby Covington utilized a clear strategy to wear down Jorge Masvidal over five rounds and earned a unanimous decision victory at UFC 272. Covington's wrestling was simply too much for Masvidal, resulting in most of the fight being contested on the mat. Masvidal did have his moments, but they were few and far between, and even though they didn't shake or hug after the fight, there was a clear ending to the friends-turned-rivals storyline.

Covington once again emerges as a clear contender in the welterweight division, even after losing to champion Kamaru Usman twice already. Still, Covington, in his postfight interview, called out Dustin Poirier. What's the right next step for him? And does Masvidal, who just signed a new UFC contract, have another big fight in his future?

There were a number of standout performances before the main event. Rafael dos Anjos nearly stopped Renato Moicano a number of times, but ultimately won by unanimous decision. Bryce Mitchell continued his run with a dominant win over Edson Barboza. Kevin Holland made a few mistakes, but his welterweight bout was successful with a second-round knockout and Serghei Spivac handed Greg Hardy another knockout loss. On the prelims Marina Rodriguez continued to make her case for a strawweight title shot.

So what did we learn? Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Jeff Wagenheim and Carlos Contreras Legaspi react to an action-packed UFC 272.

Who should be next for Colby Covington: Winner of expected fight between Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev on April 9

If the pay-per-view is purchased, all fights from UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal will be available to watch on ESPN+.

• Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Renato Moicano • Edson Barboza vs.