UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal was arrested and charged on Tuesday, March 22, following an altercation with Colby Covington the day before, journalist Rosh Lowe first reported.
According to Miami-Dade County Corrections records, Masvidal was booked into jail at 10:27 p.m. Wednesday and is facing two felony charges: aggravated battery with a mask causing great bodily harm and criminal mischief. Jail records showed he was held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $15,000 bond, but he had been released by Thursday morning.
Video of “Gamebred” being escorted into jail was captured by WPLG Local 10 News.
Exclusive @GamebredFighter headed to jail on an aggravated battery charge after his alleged attack on @ColbyCovMMA Exclusive video and story on @WPLGLocal10
Masvidal is accused of punching Covington twice in the face at the Papi Steak restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida, Monday night, as Fox Sports talk show host Andy Slater first reported. The incident left “Chaos” with a fractured tooth and broken watch, according to police records.
According to Slater, “Jorge Masvidal, wearing a surgical mask and hoodie, sucker punched Colby Covington twice” and one of Covington’s coaches called police.
Covington Alleged Masvidal Damaged His Rolex; the Felony Battery Charge Can Carry Up to 15 Years in Prison
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.
According to the arrest affidavit provided by the Miami-Dade Police Department, 37-year-old Masvidal “ran up from [Covington’s] left side and struck him without notice or warning.” He told Covington “you shouldn’t have been talking about my kids” and punched him twice in the face, breaking his tooth, the document indicates.
Though the attacker was mostly hidden by the mask and hood, “Covington … was able to identify [Masvidal] due to his long-standing relationship with defendant Masvidal (former roommates, training partners and friends),” according to the affidavit. Covington told police he “immediately recognized … Masvidal’s voice and upper half of his face which included his long curly hair which was sticking out of the hoodie,” the affidavit indicates.
According to the document, Covington also said his $90,000 Rolex “had scratches and a bent/broken wristband,” with damage valued at $15,000.
Police attempted to contact Masvidal but instead received a call from his attorney, telling him that Masvidal should surrender himself to police, the affidavit indicates. Masvidal did so and was arrested at the Miami Beach Police Department at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, according to the affidavit. During the arrest, they “photographed an injury to the right hand/knuckles where he had stitches that occurred prior to police contact,” the document states.
The penalties for the felony aggravated battery charge can be up to 15 years in prison or 15 years of probation and up to $10,000 in fines. The felony charge of criminal mischief resulting in damage of $1,000 or more can carry a prison term of up to five years.
Masvidal and Covington fought earlier this month at UFC 272 and Covington won the heated contest via unanimous decision.
Masvidal Shared a Video of Himself & His Manager Tweeted After the Incident
After the incident, Masvidal shared a video of himself on Twitter seemingly addressing the situation. Tagging Covington in the tweet, Masvidal said in the video: “I call this show your face challenge. What’s up? I’m from Dade County. You talk that s***, you gotta back it up. That’s how my city rolls, man.”
The tweet has since been deleted from Gamebred’s page.
In another tweet that appears to be aimed at Covington, Masvidal’s manager Malki Kawa wrote: “I’m hearing that a someone not from miami who says he’s the king of it is missing a tooth. Can someone confirm this? I need the video asap.”
I’m hearing that a someone not from miami who says he’s the king of it is missing a tooth. Can someone confirm this? I need the video asap.
Masvidal and Covington are former best friends, roommates and training partners. However, their relationship has degraded over the past few years and they met inside the Octagon at UFC 272 to settle the beef.
But even though they spent 25 minutes in the Octagon fighting, it looks like their feud is far from over.
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Police Arrest UFC Star Jorge Masvidal After Colby Covington Attack