Colby Covington Is Suing Jorge Masvidal for $100K: This Beef Might Never End

I'm going to be real with you. I have never cared about Colby Covington. Not as a fighter, not as a personality, not as a character. The schtick never landed for me and I've always thought the act was more exhausting than entertaining.

But bro, this Masvidal situation is genuinely one of the wildest beefs in the UFC and I can't ignore it anymore because it just went from the octagon to the streets to an actual courtroom. Covington filed a civil lawsuit against Masvidal on March 23 seeking over $100,000 in damages from the 2022 sucker punch outside Papi Steak in Miami. He's claiming brain injury, disfigurement, mental anguish, and loss of earnings. He wants a jury trial.

Four years after the punch. After the criminal case already ended. After Masvidal already pled guilty and served his two days. And now Colby wants to go back to court for money. This beef started with poker games and shared apartments and it might end with a jury deciding how much a sucker punch costs. The whole thing is actually insane and the full timeline is worth knowing because nobody else is putting all of it in one place.

They Were Roommates. Like Actual Roommates.

This part always gets lost in the chaos. Covington and Masvidal were genuinely close friends. Not "we train at the same gym" close. They were roommates. Masvidal let Covington move into his two bedroom apartment in Coconut Creek in 2016 after Colby broke up with his girlfriend and was rehabbing a broken hand. Nine months under the same roof. They played poker together at the Seminole Casino after training. They taught each other skills at ATT. Masvidal showed Covington how to strike, Covington showed Masvidal how to wrestle. ATT owner Dan Lambert literally joked that he thought they were "in a relationship."

Masvidal called Covington his "best friend." Covington called Masvidal "my best friend." Both of them said it on camera. Both of them denied it later. The internet has the receipts on both counts.

The friendship was real. That's what makes everything that came after so ugly.

How It Fell Apart

The short version: money and ego.

Covington went to Brazil in late 2017 and dominated Demian Maia, the same guy who had beaten Masvidal five months earlier by split decision. According to Covington, that's when the energy shifted. He felt a "coldness" from Masvidal when he got back.

Around the same time, Covington allegedly refused to pay their shared striking coach Paulino Hernandez what he owed after a fight. Masvidal's version is simple: "He ripped off my coach, that was his coach. We were with him until his title fight. After he won the title, he owed him a certain amount of money, didn't pay him. I said if you don't pay him I'm going to f**k you up."

Then Covington's heel persona started targeting his own teammates. Masvida, Poirier, Brazilian training partners. Lambert eventually had enough and kicked Covington out of ATT in 2020 after both fighters violated a no trash talk between teammates rule.

Two dudes who were best friends, roommates, and training partners went from playing poker together to not being allowed in the same gym. That's a movie script, except it actually happened.

UFC 272: The Grudge Match

By 2022, the hate was real enough that the UFC booked them as the main event of UFC 272 in Las Vegas. March 5. T-Mobile Arena. And the buildup was brutal.

Covington went after Masvidal's family. His kids, his ex-wife, all of it. That's where the beef crossed from competitive to genuinely personal, and Masvidal made it clear he intended to make Covington pay for it. The press conferences were uncomfortable. Security had to separate them on stage.

The fight itself wasn't close. Covington wrestled Masvidal for five rounds and won a dominant unanimous decision. Masvidal landed one clean hook in the fourth round that got the crowd going, but that was it. Covington's wrestling was too much.

After the fight, Masvidal said something that turned out to be a prediction: "If I see him in the streets, I'm going to give him everything I got to break his f**king jaw."

Sixteen days later, he tried.

The Papi Steak Punch

March 21, 2022. Covington is leaving Papi Steak restaurant in Miami Beach. Masvidal, allegedly wearing a mask, approaches him from behind and punches him in the face with a closed fist. No warning. No chance to defend himself.

Covington said he chipped a tooth, suffered a concussion, and his Rolex sustained about $15,000 in damage. Masvidal was charged with two felonies. The charges were eventually reduced through a plea deal: Masvidal pled guilty to misdemeanor battery, served two days in jail (credit for time served), and paid $955 in fees.

That's it. Two days and a thousand bucks for sucker punching someone outside a steakhouse after publicly threatening to do exactly that.

And then Masvidal went on Instagram and said this: "Fk you, Colby. It's going to be a fking movie now. All these orders, all these restraining orders been lifted off. It's going to be a f**king movie."

Dude. You just pled guilty to battery and your first move is to get on camera and taunt the guy you punched? That is genuinely unhinged behavior. I don't care about Colby but that's objectively wild.

The Lawsuit: Four Years Later

Fast forward to March 23, 2026. Covington files a civil lawsuit in Miami Dade County. He's seeking over $100,000 in damages. The complaint lists bodily injury, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, physical impairment, mental anguish, loss of capacity for enjoyment of life, medical expenses, loss of earnings, and aggravation of a pre existing condition. He wants a jury trial.

His attorneys are calling the attack "unprovoked, deliberate, malicious and carried out with the intent to cause harm." They're arguing the injuries "are either permanent or continuing" and that Covington "will suffer the losses in the future."

Now here's the part that's actually interesting from a legal standpoint. Florida's statute of limitations for battery claims is four years. The attack happened March 21, 2022. The lawsuit was filed March 23, 2026. That's two days past the four year mark if the clock started on the date of the punch. If Masvidal's lawyers argue it's time barred, this whole thing could get thrown out before it ever sees a courtroom.

Whether the tolling starts from the date of the attack or the date of the guilty plea could be the entire case. Covington's team is obviously betting it starts from the plea. Masvidal's team is going to argue it starts from the punch. Two days might be the difference between $100,000 and nothing.

Where Both Guys Are Now

Covington hasn't fought since Joaquin Buckley finished him by TKO in December 2024. He's 17-5, 37 years old, and his last two fights were losses. He recently wrestled Dillon Danis at RAF 7, beating him 14-4. He got snubbed from the UFC White House card. His relevance as a fighter is fading, which makes the timing of this lawsuit feel like it's about more than just the money.

Masvidal is 35-17. He stepped away from MMA, did a boxing match, and has hinted at a possible UFC return. After the plea deal, he acted like nothing happened. The Instagram video. The public taunts. The attitude of a guy who genuinely believed he got away with it.

And now, four years later, a jury might tell him he didn't.

The CageLore Take

Look, I said at the top that I've never cared about Colby Covington. That hasn't changed. The persona, the political schtick, the family attacks during the UFC 272 buildup, all of it rubs me the wrong way. And filing a lawsuit four years after the fact, potentially two days past the statute of limitations, when your fighting career is declining, that's not a great look either.

But here's the thing. Masvidal sucker punched somebody outside a restaurant. He publicly threatened to do it, then did it, then pled guilty to it, then taunted the guy on Instagram about it. Regardless of how you feel about the victim, that's not something you should be able to walk away from for $955 and two days in jail.

The criminal system gave Masvidal a slap on the wrist. Covington's betting the civil system won't be as generous.

Whether the statute of limitations kills this case before it starts is going to be the most important two days in this entire beef. And considering how many years, how many fights, and how many threats have gone into this rivalry, ending the whole thing on a technicality about whether the clock started on March 21 or a few months later would be the most anticlimactic conclusion to one of MMA's wildest feuds.

But that's where we are. Roommates to rivals to a courtroom. Poker games to sucker punches to civil lawsuits. This beef has lasted longer than most UFC careers and it still isn't over.

Thanks for riding with CageLore. Stay locked in!

Frequently Asked Questions About the Covington vs Masvidal Lawsuit

What is Covington suing Masvidal for?

Covington filed a civil lawsuit on March 23, 2026 in Miami Dade County seeking over $100,000 in damages from a 2022 attack outside Papi Steak restaurant in Miami Beach. He's claiming brain injury, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of earnings, and other damages. He wants a jury trial.

What happened at Papi Steak?

On March 21, 2022, sixteen days after Covington beat Masvidal by unanimous decision at UFC 272, Masvidal allegedly attacked Covington outside the Miami Beach steakhouse. Covington says Masvidal punched him with a closed fist without warning, causing a chipped tooth, a concussion, and $15,000 in damage to his Rolex.

What happened in the criminal case?

Masvidal was initially charged with two felonies. Through a plea deal, the charges were reduced to misdemeanor battery. He pled guilty, served two days in jail with credit for time served, and paid $955 in fees.

Why were Covington and Masvidal friends?

Both trained at American Top Team in Florida starting in 2011. They became close training partners, poker buddies, and roommates. Masvidal taught Covington striking while Covington helped Masvidal with wrestling. The friendship fell apart over jealousy, unpaid coaching fees, and Covington's trash-talk persona targeting teammates.

Is there a statute of limitations issue?

Potentially. Florida's statute of limitations for battery claims is four years. The attack was March 21, 2022. The lawsuit was filed March 23, 2026, which is two days past the four year mark. Whether the clock starts from the date of the attack or a later date could determine if the case survives.

What did Masvidal say after the plea deal?

After pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery, Masvidal posted on Instagram: "Fk you, Colby. It's going to be a fking movie now. All these orders, all these restraining orders been lifted off."