"Masvidal has got a lot riding on this"- Dan Lambert has the whole American Top Team invested in the UFC 272 grudge match
Dan Lambert has suggested that the entire ATT (American Top Team) gym is looking forward to the upcoming UFC 272 grudge match between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington.
For several years, Masvidal and ‘Chaos’ trained together at the ATT gym that’s owned by Lambert. However, Covington’s rise to prominence in the UFC welterweight division saw him increasingly push the boundaries with his trash talk against opponents and his ATT teammates.
That meant tensions between Covington and several ATT members eventually reached a boiling point. He parted ways with ATT, and has been training at MMA Masters since 2020.
In an edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Lambert highlighted the significance of the UFC 272 matchup between ‘Gamebred’ and Covington. He was asked if the history between Masvidal and Covington and their respective associations with ATT would make the fight personal. Lambert responded by stating:
“It feels different just because of how long Jorge’s been on the team, how much he means to a lot of the team, how invested a lot of people are on the team that have taken a lot of what’s going on personally. From my standpoint, I try not to get too high with the wins and too low with the losses. But it’s hard to take the personal element out for the guy. I know how much this fight means to Masvidal, and it’s a big fight for the team.”
Lambert explained that every fight that an ATT member competes in is a big fight for the team. Nevertheless, if an ATT member loses a fight, there are several other fights shortly after that other members compete in and win. Lambert added:
“So, there’s always the next thing for the team. But it’s hard to remove yourself from the individual. So, yeah, Masvidal has got a lot riding on this one.”
Watch Dan Lambert’s conversation with Ariel Helwani in the video below:
Colby Covington has vowed to end Jorge Masvidal’s career at UFC 272
Colby Covington is scheduled to fight his former friend and roommate Jorge Masvidal in a non-title main event UFC 272 on March 5.
Colby Covington. Jorge Masvidal. The Rivalry. The Grudge Match 😤
Not long until the @brucebuffer intro becomes a reality...
#UFC272 | Saturday | BT Sport 1 HD https://t.co/6UqxQeg33g
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Covington predicted that he won’t finish Masvidal early in their fight at UFC 272. ‘Chaos’ asserted that he’ll drag the fight out instead and make Masvidal suffer. Covington said:
“I’m gonna inflict so much pain on Jorge Masvidal. He’s not gonna be the same person ever again. He keeps talking about a baptism. There’s not gonna be a baptism. It’s going to be a funeral. It’s Jorge Masvidal’s career-ending funeral. It’s gonna be violent.”