Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal trained together and at times lived together at American Top Team in South Florida, a relationship documented in early public photos and reporting from their camps [1]. Journalistic accounts trace the seeds of the split to late 2017 and say the pair “had a falling out” in 2018, citing locker-room friction and interpersonal disputes within ATT [1]. Reporting identifies a reported disagreement involving coach Paulino Hernandez and payment as one concrete flashpoint cited by sources as contributing to the rupture; those accounts appear repeatedly in coverage of the split [1][6]. Covington’s increasingly provocative public persona and promotional rhetoric—reported as alienating to some teammates and staff at ATT—exacerbated gym tensions, prompting staff and fighters to distance themselves per coverage of the period [1]. The relationship did not dissolve in a single public incident but through accumulated private disputes that culminated in Covington leaving American Top Team in 2020 and moving his training base to MMA Masters [1]. Early social-media posts and gym photos from 2015–2017 show a close rapport, with shared routines and teammates such as Dustin Poirier and Yoel Romero appearing in the same camps, which highlights how the split redeployed a training partnership into a personal rivalry later resolved in the cage and in the courts [1].
The most recent legal milestone came on November 6, 2023, when Jorge Masvidal entered a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor battery charge related to the March 21, 2022 incident; two felony counts were dropped and court reporting records credit for time served [6]. Media coverage and fight records reviewed here show no documented private reconciliation between Covington and Masvidal, and outlets continue to report the relationship as adversarial rather than reconciled [1][6]. Any change to the status quo would require new public statements, a future fight booking or verified private communications to be reflected in reportage.
Covington frames the dispute as a competitive and promotional split that began with interpersonal friction at American Top Team and culminated in settling matters inside the Octagon; after UFC 272 he continued vocal promotion of his win and sought further high-profile matchups [1][2][3].
Masvidal's view centers on defending personal and family honor after public provocation; his social-media response and the phrase attributed to him in the police narrative indicate he says the off-site incident related to comments about his children and local reputation [4][8].
From the gym/organization viewpoint, the dispute began as internal locker-room friction and reported payment/allegiance disputes that made a continued training partnership untenable; coverage points to consequences for team cohesion and eventual separation [1][6].
As of the latest reporting, the public rivalry is dormant in terms of legal action after Masvidal's no-contest plea on November 6, 2023, but no documented private reconciliation has been reported; media coverage continues to treat the relationship as adversarial [6][1].
Reporting traces the origin to growing interpersonal friction at American Top Team in late 2017 with a formal falling-out in 2018; coverage cites locker-room disputes and a reported payment disagreement involving coach Paulino Hernandez as key triggers [1][6].
They headlined UFC 272 on March 5, 2022 in Las Vegas, where Colby Covington won by unanimous decision with judges' scores of 49-46, 50-44 and 50-45; Covington used his post-fight interview to continue provocative remarks that kept the rivalry in public view [2][3].
Miami Beach police reports and contemporaneous coverage state Jorge Masvidal allegedly approached Colby Covington outside Papi Steak and punched him twice, causing a fractured/chipped front tooth and a wrist abrasion; Masvidal surrendered to police and faced aggravated battery and criminal mischief counts initially [4][8].
On November 6, 2023 Jorge Masvidal entered a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor battery charge related to the March 21, 2022 incident; two felony counts were dropped and reporting notes he received credit for time served under the plea agreement [6].
Yes. Covington made provocative post-fight remarks at UFC 272 and was recorded speaking to police after the Papi Steak incident; Masvidal posted a 'show-your-face challenge' video after the incident and his attorney characterized the later court case disparagingly in social posts [3][7][8][6].
Media reports place Covington's departure from American Top Team in 2020 after ongoing disputes that began in 2017–2018, after which he moved his training base to MMA Masters [1].
Yes. Covington told police and outlets that he suffered a fractured or chipped front tooth and an abrasion to his wrist, details that appear in police narratives and news reporting about the March 21, 2022 incident [4][7].