MIAMI – Amid an ongoing court case in which he filed claims of brain injury, [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] is in line for a UFC title shot against welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
The math on that does not add up to UFC contender [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag], the defendant who currently faces felony charges for an alleged attack on Covington outside of a Miami steakhouse in March 2022.
“I currently have three felonies because this b*tch Colby says I gave him a brain injury, so how the f*ck is he going to fight for any title, is what I want to know,” Masvidal told reporters including MMA Junkie at a UFC 287 pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “The UFC is going to get sued if that guy goes in there and something like that happens. Because supposedly, allegedly because I didn’t do sh*t, he says I gave him a brain injury. I didn’t do sh*t to him.”
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Although Covington has not competed since the alleged incident, UFC president Dana White has repeatedly designated him next in line for a title shot. That hasn’t stopped fans from pondering if the winner of Saturday’s UFC 287 co-main event between Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) and Gilbert Burns (21-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) could steal that spot.
In the fight game, self-promotion becomes an essential negotiating tool. So, despite a court-mandated restraining order, Masvidal wouldn’t be surprised if Covington still shows up at Kaseya Center to capture the spotlight.
“Of course, he’s an attention-seeking-ass whore,” Masvidal said. “He’s going to be there. From 100 feet away and 20 security guards, he’s going to be saying all types of crazy-ass sh*t, that he’s the king of this and that. He’s only the king of calling cops and s*cking c*ck.”
“… I don’t give a flying f*ck. All I know is he has a restraining order on me. I have to stay 100 feet away from this individual. I don’t even know why he would even put such a thing on me, because I’m just the coolest guy. My mind is still blown as to why he has a restraining order on me and then he’s claiming he’s the kind of I don’t know what. Whatever.”
Masvidal, 38, faces two felony charges: aggravated battery and criminal mischief. A third felony of committing a felony while wearing a mask has been dropped by the court. Masvidal has pleaded not guilty. His next court hearing is a pre-trial date setting May 10 in Miami-Dade County (Fla.) court.
Saam Zangeneh, the defense attorney for Masvidal, expressed optimism at the case’s most recent hearing on Feb. 15 that a deal with the state attorney’s office could happen before legal proceedings reach trial.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
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