UFC 272: Jorge Masvidal Says It’s “Nothing Personal,” but Plans to Break Covington’s Face

Las Vegas, NV — For Jorge Masvidal, after nearly twenty years of competing as a professional fighter, even the likes of Colby Covington can’t shake him off his game.

The pair collide in what’s billed as a grudge match atop UFC 272 — former friends turned bitter enemies. But to hear Masvidal (35-15) tell it, when the cage door closes on Saturday, it’ll be just business.

“I signed on to fight professionally at 18, and I knew since I did that journey that nothing would be on the personal level. Reason being, Fight Night, nothing’s personal, man,” Masvidal explained during Wednesday’s UFC 272 media day. “And still nothing is personal. This is as close as it gets to personal, this is one individual that I’m going to break his face shortly, but there’s nothing personal.”

Masvidal doesn’t just get paid to fight for a living, “every once in a while I get to punch somebody in the face that I really don’t like,” he added, “and I get paid for it. So on that end, I love it.” And while “Gamebred” knows he might help boost Covington’s profile in the fight, “I’m going to send him to the hospital Ben Askren style.”

Nothing personal, all business seemed to be the underlying theme of the day for Jorge Masvidal. Yet in the same breath, he spoke of just why he cannot stand Colby Covington.

“For many reasons, I want to hurt this guy like I’ve never hurt nobody before. One, he’s talking about my kids. There’s kids, religion, people’s wives— I think that’s beneath us,” said Masvidal. “Let other people, other sports do that. We don’t need to do that. When it’s two men getting in that cage, or two women getting in that cage, you don’t need to do that. We’re going to fight, and we’re going to find out. If you want to talk crap about me, about my speed and my reflexes, I get all that, but what do my kids have to do with it?”

Masvidal also questioned why Covington had turned his trash talk on some of the sport’s high profile female fighters, including Amanda Nunes and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. “I think he’s going to have a sex change, and then he’s going to go on over and start fighting women, maybe. Because as he said, he’s just building a Pay-Per-View. So maybe that’s what he’s doing. He’s a very interesting character, a lot of flaws in his head, and I can’t wait to straighten him out.”

After coming up short against Kamaru Usman last year, Covington still shook the champ’s hand, and admitted his brash, trash talking front was just a gimmick to sell Pay-Per-Views. Just don’t expect a similar scene following the UFC 272 main event.

“He knows me through and through. He would never dare do that. No. He would never get close in any circumference or anything like that. He wouldn’t put himself at a chance where I could end his ass again,” suggested Masvidal. “Especially because he’s talked about my kids. My kids don’t do a Pay-Per-View sale. People ain’t ‘oh he’s talking about his kids, I’m really gonna tune in now.'”

“He talked about [Kamaru] Usman’s dad, I don’t know how many times, calling him all types of things, Usman’s mom, then you’re going to say ‘oh it’s just business, I’m selling PPVs, I love you bro?’ when he had said for months ‘I’ll never shake this guy’s hand?’ That shows how much of a coward he is and what a snake he is. He’ll say whatever, whenever, and then when the light’s on him and it’s time to be a man about it, he does what he does. I can’t respect him in any way, shape or form.”

Watch the full UFC 272 media day appearance from Jorge Masvidal above. The event takes place this Saturday, March 5, 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. More coverage from the event can be found below.