UFC welterweight Colby Covington has drawn the ire of many of his teammates at American Top Team as of late. That being said, it would appear that Jorge Masvidal is taking a comedic approach to the recent controversy.
Colby Covington earned a unanimous decision victory over Demian Maia at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 119, stunning the Sao Paulo crowd. In his post-fight interview, Covington called Brazil a “dump” and its people “filthy animals.”
Following the controversial statement, many members of American Top Team have come forward to share their opinions on their teammate’s statement. Among them, ATT co-founder Ricardo Liborio took to Instagram to state:
“I feel that I must make a statement in light of the comments made by Colby Convigton along with the amount of messages sent to me from Brazil, the United States, and from all over the world.
“I’m here to state that I am no longer with American Top Team. Also, I absolutely do not condone any behavior that instigates hate, prejudice, or bullying of any kind. It upsets me to see the sport taking this direction of blatant disrespect. It’s unsportsmanlike, but it also fosters and promotes a culture of cruelty towards others. Combat Sports should always represent the qualities of humility, empathy, and respect.
“I dedicated my life to the Martial arts, and to the formation and growth of this team. I can not discuss at this time the reasons for my departure from ATT. At some point, I will. For the time being, I want the members of ATT to know that they will always be in my heart.”
Now it would appear that Jorge Masvidal has decided to offer some levity during the controversial moment. Taking to Instagram, Masvidal stated:
“Because of Colby Covington and his words, I too am officially leaving ATT…
I got the ill deal with Metro PCs unlimited data 4 lines for 100 bucks and no contract.
Good looking out playa!”
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) October 31, 2017
