UFC 272 is in the books. Colby Covington once again established himself as one of the best welterweights in the world not named Kamaru Usman. Undefeated featherweight Bryce Mitchell made his presence known in the division’s top ten, and the strawweight title picture for the rest of the year may have become a lot clearer.

Through the thirteen fights on the UFC 272, the Cage Calculus forecast favorites went 9-4, bringing the forecast’s overall record since its inception to 152-90-2. All forecast projections are based on a fighter’s CC rating. You can find out how those ratings are generated HERE. You can view the projections for last week’s fights HERE, HERE, and HERE. The CC Editor’s Picks were 7-6 and the odds-on favorites according to Vegas were 9-4.

2022 Overall Standings

• Cage Calculus Forecast: 49-35
• Cage Calculus Editor Picks: 53-31
• Las Vegas Oddsmakers: 58-26

Without further ado, here’s what we learned from UFC 272:

Colby Covington Is Underrated… But Needs a Change

Yes, Covington (#2 CC, #1 UFC) is clearly a cut above the rest of the welterweight contenders at the moment. Yes, champion Kamaru Usman alluded to the possibility of a third bout with Covington after the fight. The only non-champion ranked above Covington at welterweight is Vicente Luque (#2 CC, #4 UFC). However, Luque’s rating is boosted by the fact that he hasn’t had to face Usman in the recent past. Covington’s struggles against the all-time great champion have overshadowed his dominance against all other comers.

All that being said, it is tough to imagine a scenario where Covington does claim welterweight gold in the near future barring an Usman retirement. The CC ratings indicate Covington would instantly become the #2 contender at middleweight should he decide to move up. He’d be behind only the champ Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker (#1 CC, #1 UFC). Whittaker is in a similar spot in that he’s better than the rest, but can’t quite top the champ. He’s teased a move down to welterweight in the near future. Perhaps these two #1 contenders ought to consider a swap.

Still Not Much About Rafael Dos Anjos

Dos Anjos (#7 CC, #6 UFC) has won each of his last two fights. However, both came against fighters coming in on under a week’s notice. Prior to that, he’d lost four of five in the welterweight division. It’s hard to know where the former champion fits in this lightweight division. It’s also hard to matchmake at this point for him as opponents keep dropping out and moving on to other fights. With any luck, Dos Anjos will score a top ten opponent in his next bout and we’ll see where he belongs at 155 pounds. Until then, we’re still flying relatively blind.

Bryce Mitchell Has Arrived

The bout between Mitchell (#8 CC, #9 UFC) and Edson Barboza (#13 CC, #11 UFC) was billed as a battle of styles between a grappler and a striker. However, not only was Mitchell able to rag-doll Barboza on the ground, but he was also able to win the striking exchanges. Mitchell put the featherweight division on notice and will be a dangerous matchup for any one of the top 15 contenders. If he ever returns to UFC action, the borderline mythological Zabit Magomedsharipov (#5 CC, NR UFC) would be a fascinating matchup for Mitchell. Otherwise, the UFC matchmakers are going to have a tough time finding someone who can compete on the ground with Mitchell.

Marina Rodriguez Is Most Definitely Next

After her last win, we noted that Rodriguez (#2 CC, #3 UFC) should get the next title shot, but would have to wait in line behind Carla Esparza (#5 CC, #2 UFC). That prediction has come to pass. However, with another win under her belt, Rodriguez has definitely earned the first crack at the winner of Namajunas-Esparza, which should take place this spring. It might mean a relatively lengthy layoff for Rodriguez, but she’s got her shot all but secured and no other fight makes sense for her right now.

Umar Nurmagomedov Needs a Ranked Opponent

Nurmagomedov, the cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has been almost as dominate as his cousin since joining the UFC. He kept that going, dispatching Brian Kelleher by submission in the very first round. He’s already calling to get back into the octagon. Given his dominance thus far, it only makes sense he should get someone with a number next to his name. Personally, we’d be fascinated by a matchup with Sean O’Malley (#10 CC, #12 UFC), but the UFC likely won’t want to pit two rising stars against each other so soon. Time will tell.

Photo Credit: MARCA