Getty Colby Covington & Jorge Masvidal
UFC stars Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington’s legal battle entered its next chapter on Thursday.
The MMA combatants were once best friends and training partners, but their relationship has greatly degraded over the past few years. And on March 21, Covington accused Masvidal of punching him twice in the face outside the Papi Steak restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida.
The two strikes caused Covington’s tooth to fracture, as well as a wrist abrasion and damage to “Chaos'” Rolex watch, Covington alleged.
Masvidal was arrested a day later and charged with two felonies.
Felony aggravated battery, Masvidal’s most serious charge, can land him up to 15 years in prison or 15 years of probation and up to $10,000 in fines. The other felony charge, criminal mischief resulting in damage of $1,000 or more, carries with it a prison term of up to five years. Masvidal had written in a plea of not guilty, and during his first court appearance on April 28, “Gamebred” verbally pled not guilty via Zoom, according to MMA Fighting.
Covington’s identity as the victim has officially been revealed, according to the report. Although Covington was never named as the victim before the court date due to Marsy’s Law, Judge Zachary L. James confirmed Covington’s identity.
“Just to be clear, C.C. is Colby Covington,” Masvidal asked the judge during the Zoom call on Thursday (via MMA Fighting).
“Correct,” Judge James answered.
“Got it,” Masvidal said.
Masvidal Was Issued a Stay-Away Order, Gamebred’s Team Plans to Examine the Rolex
During his court appearance, Gamebred was issued a stay-away order.
“The order states that Masvidal must stay 25 feet away from Covington in all public places, or any vehicle the former interim champion may be traveling in, and 500 feet from Covington’s home,” as per MMA Fighting. “In addition, Masvidal may not contact Covington via phone, texting, social media, emails, or any other form of communication, or indirectly through a third party.”
If Masvidal violates the order, then “conditions of the release can be revisited,” the outlet reported.
Gamebred’s team also plans on taking a look at Covington’s Rolex watch. Covington has said that his Rolex, which is priced at $90,000, suffered $15,000 of damage due to the alleged altercation. MMA Fighting reported that a motion will be filed for Masvidal’s team to examine the watch, as well as Covington’s medical records.
Covington Claims He Suffered a ‘Brain Injury’ From the Attack
ESPN retrieved court documents that state that Covington is claiming he suffered a “brain injury” from Masvidal during the Papi Steak incident.
“The count of aggravated battery contains language that Masvidal struck Covington with a deadly weapon — his hands or fists — and caused great bodily harm (a brain injury),” the outlet reported.
Masvidal’s next hearing is currently scheduled for May 12.
At this time, his fighting timeline is unclear due to the legal battle and Gamebred’s training plans. Masvidal recently appeared on Logan Paul’s “IMPAULSIVE” podcast and said that he plans on working with Penn State wrestlers to improve his game.
Masvidal has suffered three losses in a row due in large part to his wrestling. He dropped back-to-back defeats to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. And in his most recent outing, Masvidal fought Covington during UFC 272 on March 5. Chaos controlled most of the fight with his ground game and was awarded the victory via unanimous decision.