Previously unheard audio reveals UFC welterweight Colby Covington speaking with police and identifying Jorge Masvidal as the man who allegedly assaulted him outside of a restaurant on the night of March 21.
The alleged incident took place outside of Papi Steakhouse in Miami Beach, Fla., resulting in Masvidal’s arrest two days later on March 23. He was charged with single counts of felony aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm and criminal mischief, and entered written pleas of not guilty.
The new audio, released Thursday by YouTube channel Real World Police, is of Covington giving his full statement to two detectives just past midnight on March 22, about 90 minutes after the altercation. Covington spoke with police for almost 9 minutes, offering his first on-record account of what transpired.
Covington said he and two friends had just finished dinner and were outside of the restaurant for 3 to 5 minutes. He said he signed autographs for a few fans before deciding to leave.
“As soon as we’re about to walk across the street, I get side-swiped from the side,” Covington told police. “Like, I get punched in the mouth real quick and kind of get dizzed [sic] up. I look up, and I see who it is. I can see in his eyes. It’s Jorge Masvidal. I can see his hair coming out of his hoodie, but he has a facemask on, a surgical facemask. But he’s saying, ‘You shouldn’t have f*cking talked about my kids, you shouldn’t have f*cking talked about my kids.’ So I was easily able to identify that’s his voice, that’s his eyes, that’s his hair, I know exactly who that is.”
Covington accused Masvidal of taking “two quick punches” at him. He said he ran back into Papi Steak after being punched, adding that Masvidal followed him but was stopped by security guards. Covington said he ran behind the bar, called police and waited for their arrival.
Covington, who defeated Masvidal by unanimous decision on March 5 at UFC 272, told detectives about his extensive personal history with Masvidal. He emphasized that’s how he was able to identify Masvidal despite his face being partially covered.
“Obviously I just fought this individual two weeks ago in Las Vegas, Nevada for the UFC on their pay-per-view,” Covington said. “I beat him easily, so I know exactly what he looks like – his eyes, his hair and his voice.”
When detectives asked Covington if he was injured during the alleged attack, he responded: “I mean, I definitely suffered the injury to my tooth. He chipped my front tooth and knocked it out. I mean, the adrenaline is still kind of going right now, but he definitely rocked me. I saw stars a little bit, but I stayed on my feet. I was just trying to get to safety. That’s all I was concerned about.”
The detectives also asked Covington to clarify the remarks about Masvidal’s kids that he claimed Masvidal yelled at him after the two punches. Covington told them that he still has a relationship with Masvidal’s kids and his ex-wife, adding that Masvidal’s remarks stem from trash talk during the build-up to UFC 272.
“I’m still close with the family, and I still like the kids,” Covington said. “I was being honest. I said the honest truth. I know it’s fight promotion and anything kind of goes when you’re trying to sell a fight, but I said the truth. I just said, ‘Hey, why don’t you talk to your kids? Why are you a deadbeat father?'”
The statement concluded with officers requesting that Covington provide documentation of damages after repairing his chipped tooth and his Rolex watch, which was scuffed during the encounter.
Masvidal has a pre-trial hearing set for Feb. 15, with an anticipated trial date of Feb. 27. If found guilty, Masvidal could face up to 15 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine for second-degree felony aggravated battery with additional penalties possible for the criminal mischief charge.
You can listen to Covington’s full statement in the video above.
