"People loved it when he did it to Leon" - Sean O'Malley weighs in on Jorge Masvidal sucker punching Colby Covington

Sean O'Malley and Jorge Masvidal [Images courtesy of ufc.com (left), ESPN MMA YouTube (inset), and Getty (right)]

Sean O'Malley recently spoke about the altercation between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal outside the Papi Steak Restaurant in Miami.

During a recent appearance on Theo Von's This Past Weekend podcast, 'Sugar' said that it was not a good look for Masvidal to attack Covington the way he did. However, he also stated how fans loved it when 'Gamebred' was involved in a backstage scuffle with Leon Edwards in 2019:

"There's a fine line between entertainment and making it personal. Some people are on different lines. Colby [Covington] was on the entertainment line. Jorge [Masvidal] was on the personal line. I think Colby was on the personal line too. But, I don't know, it's not a good look for Jorge. People loved it when he did it to Leon [Edwards]."

Watch Sean O'Malley talk to Theo Von:

Jorge Masvidal sucker-punched Colby Covington twice as 'Chaos' came out of a restaurant in Miami, a few days after their fight at UFC 272. The Miami native was also involved in a confrontation with Edwards three years ago.

After his win over Darren Till at UFC London in 2019, Jorge Masvidal was giving a backstage interview to ESPN's Laura Sanko. Leon Edwards, who had won against Gunnar Nelson that night, passed by and directed some comments towards 'Gamebred'.

Masvidal walked up to the Englishman and punched him, which left 'Rocky' bloodied. However, unlike Covington, Edwards didn't press any charges against the BMF champion.

Watch the altercation between Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards:

Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards exchange words and punches backstage during the ESPN+ post-show https://t.co/kYEkWxN8Io

Colby Covington has pressed charges against Jorge Masvidal

'Chaos' has pressed charges against his former roommate to the Miami Beach Police. He reported to the police that Masvidal punched him twice, leaving him with a broken tooth and an abrasion on his wrist. The No.1-ranked welterweight also reported a damage of $15,000 to his $90,000 Rolex watch.

'Gamebred' was taken into custody and has since been released on a $15,000 bond. He has been accused of a second-degree felony for aggravated battery. Masvidal could face up to 15-years jail time for that charge. He is also facing a third-degree battery for criminal mischief offenses.

ARREST: MBPD Detectives have arrested and charged Jorge Masvidal with:
- Aggravated Battery w/Mask
- Felony Criminal Mischief

See reports and booking photo below for more details. https://t.co/OkW6LbZQHn

Many fighters have voiced their opinions on the altercation. While the general consensus is that Masvidal should have handled things differently, most are in agreement that Covington's pre-fight trash-talk crossed the line. How this saga eventually plays out remains to be seen.