Why Did Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal Stop Being Friends?

Colby Covington is set to take on Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa after losing out on capturing the welterweight title at UFC 296 last year. Covington was believed to be one of the best welterweights in the division, but his last performance started raising doubts about his place among the top contenders in his division. Now, the former interim champion’s starting from the back of the line to carve yet another route to championship gold.

In his interesting UFC run, Colby Covington made news for a lot of controversial things. However, those controversies do not even hold a candle to his tumultuous relationship with former friend and teammate Jorge Masvidal. ‘Gamebred’ and Covington once had the best bromance in the UFC. However, the two have been on horrible terms for some time now, even landing blows on each other for 25 minutes inside the Octagon. But things were pretty good in the beginning.

When Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal were best friends

Colby Covington first bumped into Jorge Masvidal when he joined the American Top Team, based in Coconut Creek, Florida. Training there and spending time together, day in and day out, spurted the growth of a close bond between the two welterweight stars. Covington and Masvidal got so close that they even shared a rented apartment together. The relationship between them was really very tight.

For a significant period of time, Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal were totally inseparable. There was absolutely no doubt about it. There were multiple videos of them hanging out together that gave viewers and fans a real sense of their comradery. However, everything came crashing down one day, and to this day, ‘Chaos’ and ‘Covington’ cannot stand each other, but what was the reason for the end of the friendship? Let’s check that out.

Why did Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington fall out?

The primary reason behind all the beef between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal was about payment. Yes, ‘Gamebred’ once claimed that his former friend did not pay his striking coach, Paulino Hernandez, for training with him. Masvidal was already getting some signs from Covington and was prepared to end their relationship when he got word about his coach.

“I was already like, let me start separating myself from this guy little by little, and then, ‘Bam!’ Before I could even like fully (separate), he betrayed my coach. Didn’t pay him the money that was agreed upon and I knew since then I’m gonna hurt this guy,” Jorge Masvidal stated in 2022.

How did Colby Covington react to these accusations? Well, he refused these claims. “His side of the story is completely different. It’s not true. It’s not facts. Don’t believe anything Jorge says. He’s a liar. He can’t ever be a man of his word and just be honest. I’m honest. I know the real side of the story,” Covington stated as a response. Meanwhile, it was inevitable for the two former friends to finally clash inside the Octagon.

Covington vs. Masvidal at UFC 272

For Masvidal and Covington, their beef led to the two former friends/teammates stepping inside the Octagon to settle their differences. The buildup to the fight was as personal as it could get. Covington, being the villain of the sport that he is, brought Masvidal’s family into the mix. The fight ended up being a total 5-round domination by Colby Covington.

However, Masvidal did clip Covington with a beautifully timed hook in the fourth round. It was a major beat down by Covington, which led him to win via decision. But that wasn’t the end of Masvidal. Things got a lot more physical during a day out in Miami when ‘Gambred’ came across Covington following their UFC fight.

Did Masvidal attack ‘Chaos’?

After some weeks, Masvidal pulled up on Colby Covington outside of a steakhouse in Miami and attacked him. This led to Covington having a chipped tooth and a reported concussion. Covington ended up suing his old friend. Though Masvidal denied the allegations at first, he later pleaded guilty. Masvidal was reportedly facing up to 15 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. However, Masvidal avoided the prison sentence after reaching an agreement.

Jorge Masvidal made sure to send a defiant message to Colby Covington after he got past his legal troubles, claiming that someone should make a movie about his life. “F*** you, Colby. It’s going to be a f****** movie now. All these orders, all these restraining orders been lifted off. It’s going to be a f****** movie,” the former UFC star stated on Instagram.

Though the animosity between the two is likely to not die down anytime soon, we can say for certain that the two will not cross paths again. What do you think? Will all the bad blood subside after both of them retire?