A brewing drama over the next UFC welterweight title fight has apparently gotten to Colby Covington.
The former interim champion snapped at his longtime friend and teammate, Jorge Masvidal, after “Gamebred” called out Nate Diaz.
In response to a tweet from Masvidal to Diaz calling for a fight at UFC 244, Covington laid into Masvidal, calling him “dumb and desperate” and a “trash bag” while also using his trademark hashtag to dig a little deeper.
.@GamebredFighter I know you’re dumb and desperate, but you spelled JOURNEYMAN TITLE wrong junior. Reading is fundamental and #supernecessary. Just like WINNING is #supernecessary to get title fights. You should try both sometime, you trash bag.
Covington did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Masvidal’s manager, Abe Kawa, was not immediately reachable.
The tweet was a sharp departure from Covington’s earlier stance against Masvidal. Although he took credit for his teammate’s recent success, he called them “one of the greatest duos in MMA history” and said the two would only fight if a title was involved. Masvidal downplayed their friendship and said he wouldn’t be opposed to a fight. But he added he would wait his turn if Covington was first in line for a title.
Over the past few days, however, questions have arisen about Covington’s place in the welterweight division. Despite being guaranteed the next title shot by UFC president Dana White, people close to negotiations have told MMA Junkie that a shakeup behind the scenes has endangered Covington’s fight against Usman.
Amid failed negotiations on a new contract, Covington was to be replaced by Masvidal, who had been penciled in to fight Diaz in UFC 244’s headliner. But with the promotion balking on a new contract requested by Diaz, Masvidal became the prime candidate to face Usman at the Nov. 2 pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden.
Covington, who’s repeatedly battled with the promotion, secured his title shot at UFC on ESPN 5 with a dominant decision over ex-champ Robbie Lawler. His fight was targeted for November but never officially announced.
After giving Covington the first shot at the welterweight belt, Masvidal targeted a fight with another marquee opponent, including Diaz. To his delight, Diaz responded with his own callout after a comeback win at UFC 241.
UPDATE:
