Jorge Masvidal will return to the octagon at UFC 287 in April after over a year of inactivity. The No.11-ranked welterweight has been out of action since facing friend-turned-foe Colby Covington at UFC 272 in March 2022.
A few weeks after the bout, Masvidal was arrested on charges of aggravated assault after allegedly attacking Covington outside of a restaurant in Miami, Florida.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Masvidal was asked about his lengthy absence. In reply, he detailed the effect that the legal case has had on his mixed martial arts career:
“Injuries and felonies and lawsuits and a bunch of crazy s**t. I just didn’t want to go into a fight with all this outside f**king bulls**t on my head… Not having so much clouds over my f**king head before I step back in that ring… I don’t want to be fighting with a gun to my head facing all these charges that I got going on, this bulls**t that I got going on.”
Masvidal was then asked for an update on his pending court case against Covington, to which he responded:
“He [Covington] is a little b**ch, basically. That’s the only thing. His blood type came back ‘super b**ch.’ I got these court cases and s**t, man. I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t really talk about it too much because my trial’s coming up and I can get in trouble, but all I can say is Colby’s a f**king b**ch.”
Masvidal’s criminal trial is reportedly set to begin next month. It is unclear if the outcome will put his fight against Gilbert Burns in jeopardy. One thing that does remain clear, however, is that his feelings towards Covington have not changed.
Watch Jorge Masvidal discuss how Colby Covington’s lawsuit has impacted his career below (starting at the 52:55 mark):
Jorge Masvidal accuses Conor McGregor of ducking him
Conor McGregor is reportedly targeting a return to the octagon in 2023 after nearly two years of inactivity.
While many believed that a matchup with Jorge Masvidal was the fight to make, the No.11-ranked welterweight recently shared that the former double champ wanted no part of a potential fight.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Masvidal stated:
“He [McGregor] just doesn’t want it. Every time the UFC’s brought it up, he shoots it down. I think I’m bigger, I think I’m quicker than him, and we both know I hit harder than him, so I get it. Stylistically, it’s not the best for him or his brand, you know? Not only am I going to beat the f**king brakes off of him, but I’m going to do it in a way which is not good for his brand.”
Despite a flurry of fight news coming in over the past several weeks, there have been no updates on McGregor’s return. There have, however, been rumours building that he will serve as one of the coaches on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Watch Jorge Masvidal discuss Conor McGregor below:
