"Hope you beat the s**t out of each other" - Dan Lambert details how things got sour between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal
Dan Lambert has detailed how the relationship between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal went downhill after they were friends and trained together at ATT (American Top Team) for several years.
On The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, ATT owner Dan Lambert alluded to Covington and Masvidal going from friends to rivals as they rose to UFC superstardom a few years back.
Apparently, their verbal confrontations became increasingly intense. Lambert eventually issued an ultimatum that if they didn’t steer clear of one another, they’d both be kicked out of ATT.
Lambert noted that about an hour and a half after the ultimatum, Masvidal confronted Covington. They didn't adhere to the ultimatum, and engaged in the confrontation. Lambert later texted ‘Gamebred’ and ‘Chaos,’ notifying them that they’d been removed from ATT. Lambert said in this regard:
“I said, ‘I liked you guys both better when you were fighting in prelims, and you were broke as s**t, and you cared more about the gym than you did about yourselves. Neither one of you are welcome back. I hope you fight each other soon, and I hope you beat the s**t out of each other.’”
Lambert continued:
“Colby responded back – ‘I understand. Appreciate everything you did for me. And I’ll do whatever you think is best for the team.’ Masvidal called me and said – ‘You out of your mind? You can’t kick me off this team. I’ve been here longer than anybody. I’m like third in line to take over this gym when a couple of you guys die. I’m not going anywhere.’”
Lambert highlighted that Masvidal requested to return to ATT, and was allowed in after about three months. Covington, though, let Lambert know that he should not be back at ATT. ‘Chaos’ has trained at the MMA Masters gym since 2020.
Watch Dan Lambert’s conversation with Ariel Helwani in the video below:
Stephen Thompson suggests ‘special’ Jorge Masvidal could find a way to beat Colby Covington
UFC welterweight Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson – who holds a unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal – recently suggested that Masvidal shouldn’t be underestimated heading into his welterweight matchup against Covington.
The Masvidal-Covington grudge match is set to take place at UFC 272 on March 5.
While many believe Covington’s superior grappling skills could help him beat Jorge Masvidal, ‘Wonderboy’ opined that ‘Gamebred’ would find a way to win.
He lauded Masvidal’s takedown defense and ability to return to his feet, which he demonstrated in his fights against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. On the What's Up Everybody?! podcast, Thompson said:
"He finds a way [to win]. That's what makes him exciting to watch. Because his takedown defense is very good; it's very good."
Covington recently talked about his upcoming fight at UFC 272 on Youtube.