It’s been a long time coming for a fight between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington.
The top welterweights will finally settle the score in the main event of UFC 272 on March 5th. After years of trash talk across social media, they will look to make each other pay for their words, inside the Octagon.
Things weren’t always heated between the rivals however. Believe it or not, Masvidal and Covington were very close friends, years ago. The two trained together frequently at American Top Team and even lived together for a bit.
Where Did It All Go Wrong?
The two had one of the nastiest fallouts in recent MMA history. What used to be a great friendship between the teammates turned into a raging rivalry between contenders. As they moved up the rankings, so would the animosity between each other.
How did this happen? What led to the pouring of bad blood. Well, there was multiple things that led to the split. Masvidal would dive into the situation back in 2019, ahead of his fight with Nate Diaz. It might have taken almost 3 years, but now his words will be applied to a fight with Covington.
“The universe is going to correct that mistake via me.” Masvidal said of Covington at UFC 244. “Our time will come. I’ll dictate when. A lot of people said what I did to Ben was a little uncalled for. No it wasn’t. What I’m going to do to Colby, is going to be uncalled for. I can put my life on that, man.
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Training Issues
Having been teammates at American Top Team, there’d be a conflict with both of them training there amidst the rivalry. The two would have to be separated often.
“The security comes, coaches grab him. They put him away. They got me training in a separate room. He doesn’t say a word to me. I f*ck with him all the time because I’m the type of guy. If you say something right now, when ever I see you, I’m going to hold you to that. It’s just who I’ve been. Since I was a kid to right now, I don’t have to prove it.
“I see the bully. The guy is trying to conquer me. We’re going to find out. And if we get fight every time that we came across each other, we would, he knows that.”
Man To Man
Masvidal wanted to sort things out with Covington at one point. He would wait at Covington’s favorite restaurants but would never see him. ‘Gamebred’ didn’t do this with assault on his mind, just to ask why his former friend betrayed him.
“I want to talk to man to man, just ask him some questions. Man to boy. Like why [all of this] after I let you sleep on my couch, you ate off of my food. I helped you get on MMA Junkie. I helped you get on Ariel Helwani, BJPenn.com, all these things. Why would you just turn on me just for a Facebook like? Just for something like that, are you that much of a b*tch?”
Warnings
What crossed another line for Masvidal is how Covington beefed with other fighters. Some of which Masvidal is friends with, such as Jon Jones and Tyron Woodley.
“The mistake is on me. Cause I’m the f*cker that let him. He burned Jon Jones.” Masvidal added. “Jon Jones (college roommate of Covington) back then was sending little messages, waivering him. He told stuff like to Abraham, ‘tell Jorge, you don’t trust that dude. He’s another guy’.
“Then he also burned my boy Woodley, which is one of the few standup dudes in the sport. That is a true f*cking friend.
Pay Problems
Masvidal’s list of grievances didn’t stop there. Apparently, Covington didn’t pay his coaches much for all the help in the gym.
“You’re a fucking cockroach. You know, somebody helped you. Somebody gave you knowledge and wisdom to get to the next level. You don’t pay back by just giving them a little bit of money, whatever the fair percentages. Colby fits in that f*cking same cowardness. He ripped off two coaches that I introduced him to.”
Reflecting On The Rivalry
Masvidal looks to right his wrongs he made letting Covington get close to him, all those years ago, at UFC 272.
“Hurts me that I was so f*cking stupid and naive to let this individual anywhere near my family, friends and my coaches. I let him sleep on my f*cking couch for about a year. That’s what hurts me. I was stupid and naïve.”
