Jorge Masvidal asserts that the welterweight title conversation is not settled and sees a potential matchup with Leon Edwards following his fight with Gilbert Burns, despite Dana White’s announcement of Colby Covington being next in line.
Don’t count Jorge Masvidal out of the title conversation just yet. Despite UFC president Dana White naming Colby Covington as the next contender for the welterweight belt after Leon Edwards’ trilogy win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 286, Masvidal remains confident. White’s announcement seemingly overlooked Masvidal’s upcoming bout against Gilbert Burns on April 8 at UFC 287, which many assumed would have title implications. However, with Edwards already expressing his desire to face Masvidal next, “Gamebred” believes the situation at 170 pounds is far from settled.
“I love Dana, but Dana says a lot of things,” Masvidal said during an interview on The MMA Hour. He explained that history shows whoever makes the most noise, sells the most pay-per-views, and is the fighter fans want to see generally gets the title shot. He dismissed Covington as only being a champion of calling the police and shared his plan to fight Leon for the belt after potentially defeating Burns. Masvidal and Covington have not been on good terms since their March 2022 grudge match at UFC 272, which Covington won by unanimous decision.
After their fight, Masvidal was arrested for allegedly assaulting Covington outside of a Miami steakhouse. Masvidal’s legal issues from the alleged incident continue, with a pre-trial date set for May 10 and the trial expected to begin on May 22. In the meantime, he finds it wild that Covington is threatening UFC commentator Jon Anik in a recent interview while still pursuing charges against him. Masvidal referred to Covington as a “bonafide snitch” and criticized him for targeting a non-combat journalist like Anik.
As for Masvidal, his main focus remains on his co-headlining battle against Burns, even more so than the Gamebred Boxing 4 event he is promoting, which features Anthony Pettis vs. Roy Jones Jr. in the main event. Despite their ongoing legal issues, Masvidal promised the story between him and Covington is not over. He has been training for a rematch with Covington since their first fight and said, “when we get in the cage again, I’m going to kill his ass legally.”