While it seems former teammates Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal are in line for a grudge match in 2021, “Chaos” says he’s still waiting on “Gamebred” to sign the dotted line.
According to Covington (16-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC), UFC president Dana White has suggested that’s the company’s plan, but Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC) is holding things up.
“I hope it’s happening,” Covington told Chael Sonnen in the latest edition of his podcast, “You’re Welcome.” “Last I heard from Dana and the UFC, they said they were going to make it happen. I’ve been on it since Day 1, since I fought Tyron Woodley and ended his career and left him out on a stretcher. I agreed to fight Masvidal in September.”
The Covington vs. Masvidal matchup has been brewing for quite some time. Former training partners at American Top Team, the relationship has since soured, with each publicly bashing each other on repeated occasions. But the contest isn’t just about bad blood; it’s also a very meaningful fight at 170 pounds, with Covington currently ranked No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings and Masvidal at No. 6.
Both have come up short in recent title shots with reigning champion Kamaru Usman and are hoping to work themselves back into contention for a rematch. Downing another top contender would go a long way toward making that possible, and the rivalry makes it an even bigger matchup for the UFC.
Still, the two have yet to be officially paired, with Covington sitting out since his September win over Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC Fight Night 178, and Masvidal idle since his July loss to Usman at UFC 251.
Covington puts the blame squarely on Masvidal’s shoulders.
“You know, it’s clear who wants to fight,” Covington said. “It’s clear who doesn’t want to fight. There’s probably a reason he doesn’t want to fight me. He’s experienced this before. This is the easiest paycheck of my life. This is free money. He’s not even as good as Tyron Woodley.
“Tyron Woodley’s an actual world champion, not a ‘BMF.’ If this guy, ‘Street Judas’ Masvidal, was such a ‘BMF,’ such a bad motherf-cker, he wouldn’t be running. He wouldn’t be dodging fights, so the only reason this is getting held up is because of ‘Street Judas’ Masvidal.”