On Saturday, Jorge Masvidal challenged Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title at UFC 251 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Masvidal, who accepted the fight on six days’ notice, fell short in his title bid, losing a unanimous decision to the champion. And unsurprisingly, Masvidal’s former “best friend” turned bitter rival is here to throw dirt on his grave.

In the post-fight press conference, Masvidal was asked about a potential fight with Colby Covington next, to which the ‘BMF’ champion replied that he wouldn’t fight “that punk” who is “below me by a lot.” Covington, of course, did not let that go unanswered and speaking with Submission Radio, the former UFC interim welterweight champion fired back at his former training partner.

“Oh, I’m not below him in anything,” Covington said. “I’m not below some journeyman fighter who has 15 losses on his record. He got a BMF title. That stands for Broke Mediocre Fighter. What’s he ever done? He’s No. 3 in the rankings, he’s behind me in the rankings. I don’t need to ever fight Street Judas Masvidal. We fought every single day in the gym. I knocked him out all the time. You can go to YouTube and watch the last time we fought. We fought an hour straight in the living room. I used to beat the sh*t out of him, poke him, play with him, tell him he’s a little b*tch, whisper in his ear, and he couldn’t do nothing about it. He couldn’t stop me. So, of course he doesn’t want to fight me. Why would he want to fight me? Why would he want to fight a guy that he has no chance to win against?”

Covington and Masvidal have a long and sordid tale of lost friendship. The two trained together for years at American Top Team, and at one point, were reportedly thick as thieves. But as both men began to climb the welterweight rankings, animosity set in and the two have spent the last few years taking shots at one another in the media. All of this would ordinarily lead to a bad blood feud for the UFC to promote the hell out of, except like Masvidal, Covington says he has no interest in a fight either.

“I could care less about fighting him,” Covington said. “I don’t need to prove to fight him to prove my legacy in this organization and my legacy. My legacy won’t be defined by fighting journeyman like him. So, I could care less if I ever fight him. I’m gonna get my rematch with Marty Fakenewsman and I will hold that undisputed title soon, and anybody can come get it. I take on all-comers. I’m not a little b*tch like Street Judas, ‘oh, I don’t want to fight him’. You know, he wants to pick and choose easy fights, ‘oh, I want to fight Nate Diaz. Oh, I want to fight Demian Maia, avenge my loss to a f*cking 40-year-old virgin’. So, I’m not a little b*tch like Street Judas, I’ll beat everybody in the world, and I don’t need to pick and choose my fights like him.”

But despite both men’s protestations, a fight between the two at this juncture does make a lot of sense. Aside from the promotable storyline, Covington is currently ranked No. 2 in the division and Masvidal is ranked NO. 4. Usman will likely next defend his title against the No. 1 ranked contender, Gilbert Burns, leaving Leon Edwards as a logical open opponent, and Edwards is not the kind of marquee name that both men are adamant they are looking for. A fight between the two of them would be just that, and ultimately, if it comes, Covington says he’d accept the fight, but it’s Masvidal who will balk.

“He has no chance to last five rounds with me, and he knows that deep down inside that I have a different level to my game than Marty Fakenewsman,” Covington said. “He knows that deep down inside. That’s why he’s not gonna step in the octagon with me. Last time we trained, he got knocked out unconscious with a high kick. I faked a takedown, came up. So, he knows who his Daddy is. I’m Jorge Masvidal’s father. That is my son. I’m the King of Miami. I’m Miami’s King, and anybody can come get it. I ain’t gonna pick and choose easy fights and try and say who I’m gonna fight, I’m gonna take anybody, cause I’m the best in the world and that’s what the best in the world does.”

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MUST-READ STORIES

$$$. UFC 251 reportedly sells roughly 1.3 million buys, biggest card since Khabib vs. Conor.

Feud. Jorge Masvidal unsure what’s next but it won’t be Colby Covington: ‘Definitely not that punk’.

Back. ONE Championship announces return to action following coronavirus pandemic.

Good friend. Jared Gordon loses all his coaches due to COVID-19 testing, so Paul Felder will leave broadcast booth to corner him.

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VIDEO STEW

UFC Fight Island 2 Media Day video.

UFC 252 promo.

Max getting robbed.

Masvidal already back on the grind.

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LISTEN UP

The Co-Main Event. Discussing the many important outcomes from UFC 251.

Fights Gone By. Breaking down the biggest fights from UFC 251.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Response.

Respect.

Champion to former champion.

Solidarity.

It would be so much better if they actually fought here.

Staying ready.

On brand.

Guy who KOed Israel Adesanya talking about fighting in MMA.

Petr Yan got a mural in St. Petersburg.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Jared Gooden (16-4) vs. Trent McCown (8-4); Titan FC 62, July 23.

Montana De La Rosa (10-3) vs. Maryna Moroz (11-5); UFC Fight Night, Sep. 5.

Randy Costa (5-1) vs. Journey Newson (9-2); UFC Fight Night, Sep. 26.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.

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EXIT POLL

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