"Things got out of hand" - Georges St-Pierre gives his opinion on the Jorge Masvidal - Colby Covington situation
After the infamous attack by Jorge Masvidal on Colby Covington, everyone in the MMA world had their own opinion, including Georges St-Pierre. Despite fighting only 22 days ago, UFC welterweights Covington and Masvidal's rivalry is not over.
🥊 UFC stars #ColbyCovington and #JorgeMasvidal were involved in an altercation outside of a Miami Beach steakhouse. 👀🥊
via @TMZ https://t.co/PIp9sismLx
Covington and Masvidal were once best friends and training partners, but a dispute over Covington not paying one of their coaches turned their friendship into a rivalry.
Although the buildup was intriguing, the fight ended up being a letdown, with Covington winning easily with a unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, and 49-46).
Two weeks later, Masvidal decided to take action outside of the octagon. While having dinner with the Nelk Boys, Covington was suddenly sucker-punched by Masvidal, who had on a surgical mask and hoodie.
UFC star Jorge Masvidal has been arrested over his alleged attack on Colby Covington. tmz.com/2022/03/23/jor…
The altercation led to Covington pressing charges and Masvidal being charged with aggravated battery. During an interview with Ariel Helwani, Georges St-Pierre discussed the situation by saying:
"Things got out of hand. I think guys take it too personal. For me, it never mattered what my opponents said to me."
Georges St-Pierre thanks his opponents for trash-talking to him
During an interview with Ariel Helwanii, 'GSP' further explained his take on Covington vs. Masvidal. The UFC Hall of Famer went on to say:
"For me, it is not personal. It is business. The more my opponent was trash-talking me, the more money I would make. So, I have to give a big thank you to all of the ferocious opponents I had."
Georges St-Pierre was always known for being respectable and humble. After having issues growing up with bullies, St-Pierre tried to stay away from trash-talking and focus on the fight. With that said, it's easier said than done to ignore your opponents.
One of his most memorable fights was against Nick Diaz, where Diaz was trash-talking from his famous post-fight callout about GSP to the fight against 'Rush'. The Diaz fight was a great example of the quote above. Out of all of GSP's legendary fights, the majority of people find the most memorable to be the grudge match against Diaz because of the trash-talking.
Georges St-Pierre's quote about trash-talking tells a bigger story. MMA is a part of the entertainment industry and needs to fill seats. Trash-talking tends to make fights more exciting and ultimately puts more money into the pockets of fighters.
Watch Georges St. Pierre discuss a variety of topics on Ariel Helwanii's The MMA Hour below: