[autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] beamed a wide smile, when asked how he feels about [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]’s recently-publicized departure from American Top Team.
Wednesday, news broke that Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) had parted ways with his longtime gym. The move came following months of numerous public spats with various teammates. At one time, Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) and Covington were friends – but their friendship has since passed and turned nasty.
Still a proud representative of ATT, Masvidal voiced his approval of the departure in an interview with ESPN on Wednesday, but wouldn’t specify if there was a specific issue that led to Covington’s departure.
“Guess who’s still here?” Masvidal said. “Guess who’s still here? The truth will shine, my brother. … I’ll let you ask Dan Lambert (why Covington is no longer at ATT), but that dude was never part of this team. … At the end of the day, he didn’t feel safe in here. I wonder why.”
In the past, Masvidal has spoken at length about the various reasons he doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Covington. However, in this interview, Masvidal focused on Covington’s treatment of female teammates.
“This is a temple for me,” Masvidal said. “It’s somewhat of a religious experience for me being in here – being in here since I was a kid, you know? My good days, my bad days, my birthdays – all days I’ve spent in this gym, sharpening my tools. I truly love this place, so I don’t like that animosity – even if he had never said a word about me.
“What type of teammate or man (he’s not a man), with the sport that we’re in, (would) insult a woman? He insulted Joanna (Jedrzejczyk). He insulted Amanda (Nunes). He insulted Dustin (Poirier). These people are not in your weight class. I get it. You’re trying to do this thing where you’re some kind of heel. What’s that have to do with a woman? A 115-pound woman or a 135-pound woman? Are you going to compete against them? Are you going to sell more pay-per-views because you’re talking about Amanda and Joanna? Answer me that.”
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In MMA, bad blood and higher buy-rates usually go hand-in-hand. However, Masvidal indicated he doesn’t believe he’ll ever cross paths with Covington inside the cage. In Masvidal’s eyes, Covington is on the decline.
“I’m pretty sure he’s just done, man,” Masvidal said. “Life is going to get him out of there. I don’t see him winning anymore at a high level. If they give him someone new who just came in, (then) maybe. If they have him out there against top competition, he won’t hang. He’s a fragile dude. He’s not a guy that’s mentally strong.”
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