Colby Covington doubts Jorge Masvidal is done fighting for good.
Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC) announced his retirement after losing his fourth consecutive fight, a unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns earlier this month at 287.
“Gamebred” said he no longer feels the same when he competes, but Covington thinks he’s using retirement as a way to take time off and gain an extra advantage before competing again. Prior to losing to Burns, Masvidal lost a lopsided unanimous decision to former training partner Covington at UFC 272.
“I took away his confidence and his ego,” Covington told Inside Fighting. “He hasn’t been the same fighter. He just showed up for a paycheck his last fight. It’s a fake retirement. We all know people in the UFC that don’t retire. He’ll get out of the USADA pool, probably go do some steroids, and come back.
“He doesn’t know how to make money any other way but fighting. He’s not really retired. That guy’s dumber than f*ck in the head. He’s not gonna be able to make money any other way but fighting. I can guarantee you he’ll be back to get a paycheck.”
Masvidal currently owns multiple promotions, including Gamebred Boxing. Most recently at Gamebred Boxing 4, notable names such as Roy Jones Jr., Anthony Pettis, Jose Aldo, and Vitor Belfort competed on the UFC Fight Pass pay-per-view card at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, Covington is projected to challenge UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards this year. Edwards recently said he’s targeting a return in October and would like to fight on the UFC 294 card in Abu Dhabi.
