UFC 272 – Poker, sushi and betrayal

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Jorge Masvidal walked into the American Top Team (ATT) gym one day in September 2019 and spotted Colby Covington. The two men, formerly best friends and roommates, now barely got along. The tension between them was high.

Masvidal approached Covington and said they should talk after practice. Covington asked what he wanted to talk about, and Masvidal responded that Covington was “being a b—-” and he didn’t appreciate some of the things Covington had said about him in interviews. Covington agreed they should chat.

“It’s pretty amicable,” Masvidal told ESPN of that moment. “It’s not that bad.”

But as Masvidal turned around to walk away, he said, Covington began to raise his voice.

“I’ll f—ing kill you, bro,” Masvidal said Covington shouted. “Don’t ever talk to me like that.”

The outburst got the entire gym’s attention. Coaches and other fighters stepped between the two athletes and separated them.

Covington recalls that confrontation in the gym but disagrees with Masvidal’s recollection, saying Masvidal was the one who began yelling.

“If he wanted to do something,” Covington said, “he would have [gotten] in my face.”

Masvidal took a young Covington under his wing more than 10 years ago. They bonded over training and poker, shared an apartment and were so close that American Top Team owner Dan Lambert joked that he thought they were “in a relationship.” Covington’s escalating, crude rhetoric — including targeting teammates — as well as a financial disagreement between Covington and one of Masvidal’s coaches caused an acrimonious split. They’ve spent the past few years publicly trading insults and accusations, and…