‘No one wants to lose to a coward’: Jorge Masvidal reacts to UFC 272 defeat by bitter rival Colby Covington

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

Find out moreClose

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Jorge Masvidal labelled friend-turned-rival Colby Covington a “b***h” and “coward” after losing to his fellow American in the main event of UFC 272 on Saturday.

In one of the biggest grudge matches in UFC history, Covington outwrestled his former teammate to secure a unanimous-decision win – 49-46, 50-44, 50-45 – at a sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Masvidal and Covington traded antagonistic words in the Octagon as they awaited the judges’ scorecards, while security guards entered the ring to keep the rivals apart.

“I wrestled like s***,” said Masvidal, 37, in a post-fight press conference. “That first takedown I gave up, he took my back, he rode me pretty good.

“I felt like on the feet I definitely did more damage. I didn’t pounce after I dropped him [in the fourth round]. I thought he was gonna shoot [for a takedown], I was thinking of the wrong s***. That was my chance right there, to make a sprint and maybe make it a 10-8 or 10-7 round.

“He’s a b***h. The b***h can wrestle, though.”

Opening up on his emotions around the result, a visibly dejected Masvidal said: “To lose to a b***h like that, obviously no one wants to lose to a coward like that. It just sucks, man.

“It just sucks because this idiot talked about my kids. I still think he’s a f*****g p***y, you know? He’s still a guy who, if I saw him out in the streets, I’d go up to him and break his f*****g jaw. He doesn’t have power in his hands, that’s why he goes right to sniffing the crotch.”

At the end of the first round, Covington was retrospectively warned for an accidental eye poke, before he lost a position in Round 2 after landing a low blow in the clinch.

“The eye poke was pretty bad, man, my eye’s still hurting right now,” Masvidal said. “I’m not gonna take nothing away from him winning the fight, because that was just one sequence, but he poked the s*** out of my eye.

“Herb Dean’s not my cup of tea when it comes to refereeing. Everyone here has seen him have numerous hiccoughs. Colby’s always been kind of a dirty fighter.”

When asked what he had said to Covington at the end of the fight, Masvidal revealed: “I just know I told him: ‘You’re a b***h, I’ll get you eventually.’”

Both Masvidal and Covington have lost twice to current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman during his ongoing reign.

After the fight, Covington called out former teammate Dustin Poirier, who has teased a move up from lightweight.