Jorge Masvidal was one of the biggest names in UFC ahead of his decision to retire earlier this month.
He announced his retirement earlier this month following his defeat to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. While the decision wasn’t a surprise to many, Masvidal’s bitter rival Colby Covington has come out with an alternative theory for why he’s hanging up his gloves.
In a interview with Inside Fighting, Covington essentially accused Masvidal of faking his retirement to escape USADA testing, allowing him to take PEDs. He also called Masvidal “dumb” and claimed that he had retired him during their bout in 2022.
It’s worth noting that Masvidal was never linked to using PEDs during his MMA career and had never tested positive, even during the USADA era in the UFC. In fact, he was recently presented with a jacket from the promotion to commemorate 50 clean tests in the USADAÂ program.
So why do Covington and Masvidal have an ongoing feud? The former teammates competed in the main event of UFC 272 last March, with Covington securing a five-round decision victory.
However, Masvidal seemed unable to bury the hatchet after and is currently facing legal trouble after allegedly assaulting Covington outside a Miami restaurant weeks later.
Masvidal was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and criminal mischief, although he pleaded not guilty to both felonies.
His pre-trial date was recently postponed until May 10, with the trial expected to start on May 22.
Masvidal swtiched gears in the last couple of years and became a promoter for Gamebred FC – and recently put on a successful boxing event featuring a number of former UFC stars including Jose Aldo, Jeremy Stephens and many more.