Conor McGregor, Jon Jones have done worse things - UFC veterans believe Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington lawsuit judge might take MMA background into consideration
![Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal (left), Conor McGregor (top right), Jon Jones (bottom right) [Images courtesy of nbcnews.com & mmamania.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/06/0a120-16560797342070-1920.jpg?w=500)
Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith have given their thoughts on the upcoming trial between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. Both men agree that assault is never the answer. However, they're convinced there are fighters active in the UFC who have done worse.
Back in March at UFC 272, longtime rivals 'Gamebred' and 'Chaos' stepped into the octagon after months of bad mouthing one another. While some of the insults got personal, including Covington calling Masvidal a bad husband and father, many fans thought their fight would be the end of it. Covington won the contest on the judges' scorecards via unanimous decision.
Days after their clash, Jorge Masvidal assaulted Colby Covington outside a restaurant in Miami. Covington has claimed he suffered a "brain injury" as a result of the attack. Both men are due to appear in court in August.
Speaking on the Believe You Me podcast, 'Lionheart' and 'The Count' gave their thoughts on the upcoming trial but doubted there would be any type of jail sentence. Smith said:
"Listen. Conor's [McGregor] done worse things. Jon Jones has done worse things. Neither one of those guys have done any jail time. Jon T-boned a lady in a car, drunk. Conor hit an old man in a bar and attacked a bus. Lots of people didn't get a fight. They ended up with probation."
Colby Covington’s chipped tooth from his altercation with Jorge Masvidal in Miami. https://t.co/DuMNoPYd5m
Catch Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith's thoughts on the Colby Covington-Jorge Masvidal trial below:
Anthony Smith believes Colby Covington's case could be affected if he accepts a fight this year
On a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast, 'Lionheart' admitted that Covington could struggle in court. 'Chaos' has alleged that he suffered a brain injury in the attack from Masvidal but is still expected to fight for the UFC again later this year.
Anthony Smith feels that Covington's argument for having an injury could be dismissed by the court if the Californian is planning to return to the octagon:
"I do wonder if this Masvidal-Colby thing is the reason Colby is not taking any fights... Didn't they come out and some of the records that got released or something, and Colby was saying he had some head damage or injury? That's really hard to argue in court when you're suing someone for a lot of sh*t ton of money and then you can't take a fight."
Jorge Masvidal has pleaded not guilty to two charges: aggravated assault and criminal mischief. While neither fighter is expected to face any jail time, it certainly hasn't painted the UFC in a good light.
The organization is fighting hard to prove itself as a professional sport with elite athletes, not a barbaric contest that has been seen as previously. Incidents like this put the organization in a negative light, which it has fought so hard to get out of.
Catch Anthony Smith's comments on the upcoming trial here: