The world of MMA has had its fair share of rivalries simmering with genuine hatred and bad blood. One such rivalry that makes any fan’s list is the one between Colby ‘Chaos‘ Covington and Jorge Masvidal. The two welterweights used to be best friends at one point. Their brotherly bond has been famously documented throughout the years.
Unfortunately, years later things went sour, eventually leading the two to face each other inside the Octagon. Their highly touted octagon outing resulted in Colby earning a decision win after implementing his wrestling-heavy game plan on Masvidal. Almost a year after the infamous bout, the two still go at each other every chance they get, be it on social media or in interviews.
UFC 287 marked one of the most stacked cards the Las Vegas-based promotion had put together this year. On the co-main event of the same card, Gilbert Burns secured a decisive victory over ‘Gamebred‘ after a 3-round battle. To many fans’ surprise, Masvidal announced his retirement from the sport in front of his hometown crowd.
The announcement came as a shock to many, since the 38-year-old had initially claimed to avenge his UFC 272 loss to ‘Chaos’ before he retired for good. But going by his post-fight speech, fans speculate that the former title challenger might never grace the octagon again.
Colby Covington believes Jorge Masvidal hasn’t really retired
Recently, Colby Covington made an appearance at the T-Mobile Arena to watch the highly anticipated boxing match between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia. After the fight, the 35-year-old was found taking pictures with the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr. backstage. While at the arena, he gave an interview shining a light upon his upcoming title fight and more.
When asked about friend-turned-bitter foe, Jorge’s retirement, Colby said, “Yeah I retired him last March when we fought here at the T-Mobile Arena in 2022. He hasn’t been the same you know. I took away his confidence, his ego and he hasn’t been the same fighter. He just showed up for a paycheck his last fight.”
“It’s a fake retirement. We all know, people in the UFC know. He’ll get out of the USADA [pool], probably go do some steroids and come back, because he doesn’t know how to make money any other way but fighting. He’s not really retired. I can guarantee you he’ll be back to get a paycheck,” concluded Colby.
Both Colby and Jorge have come short of winning the welterweight gold not once but twice inside the UFC. Colby’s upcoming potential bout against Leon Edwards will mark his third attempt at the strap. However, the fight hasn’t been officially signed by either party.
It is also noteworthy that Jorge has his own fighting promotions, namely – Gamebred FC, Gamebred Boxing, and iKon FC. His out-of-the-cage ventures have certainly financially set him up for life. Thus, whether the UFC veteran makes a grand return to the octagon or not, is a matter that only time will unveil.