"I wanted to get a bat and hit Colby in the neck" - Jorge Masvidal reveals how he reacted after Colby Covington allegedly refused to pay striking coach
During a recent interview, Jorge Masvidal detailed the time he wanted to hit Colby Covington with a bat after his former teammate refused to pay their coach.
After previously being good friends and roommates, the two have been at odds for a while. Originally stemming from Covington's lack of payment to their coach, the war of words has escalated and seemingly burned all bridges between the two fighters.
During a sit-down with Yahoo! Sports to talk about his upcoming fight, 'Gamebred' explained why he defended his coach, Paulino Hernandez, to such an extent:
"My coach is like my father, especially this individual. He's the one that saw the talent in me before anybody ever did. He's the one that pulled me and goes, 'You leave everything, all this garbage behind you you're dealing with and come over here on this side'... He lives with me until this day, with me in my house. He's very well taken care of."
Describing how he felt towards Colby Covington after the incident, Masvidal had this to say:
"My initial reaction was I wanted to get a bat and hit Colby in the neck with it, and just show you what life is about. Since you want to be a thug, I'll show you what thugs do. My coach begged and pleaded me. He said, 'Don't do that, we're gonna fight him in the [cage], you're gonna knock his ass out, you're gonna make a lot of money and the whole world will see.'"
The bad blood between the two continues to steal headlines as we edge closer to their meeting in the main event of UFC 272 this Saturday.
Check out what Jorge Masvidal had to say about Covington's dispute with his coach below (09:33):
What's next for Jorge Masvidal?
Win or lose, Jorge Masvidal is still one of the biggest names in the sport. He has just signed a new deal with the UFC, so we can expect to see more of the Miami native in the future.
Although the 37-year-old has expressed interest in a third fight with Kamaru Usman, his long-lasting rivalry with Leon Edwards could set the two on a collision course before it's all said and done.
Regardless of the outcome on March 5, Masvidal can always fall back on the Nate Diaz rematch, which will undoubtedly be a blockbuster event and one that fans would love to see.