UFC star Jorge Masvidal was arrested and booked in Miami Beach, Florida, according to ESPN. Masvidal was arrested on charges of aggravated battery with bodily harm and criminal mischief, both of which are considered felonies. He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center and was held on a $15,000 bond.
The arrest stems from Masvidal allegedly punching a man in the face twice outside the Papi Steak restaurant in Miami Beach, according to ESPN. The report revealed that the man that was punched suffered a broken tooth. ESPN says the Miami Beach Police Department redacted the name of the man in the report, but Masvidal tagged UFC rival Colby Covington in a tweet after the incident. “You talk that s—, you got to back it up. That’s how my city rolls, man,” Masvidal said in the Twitter video.
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TMZ Sports obtained a video showing Covington just moments after he allegedly fought Masvidal. It was reported that Masvidal attacked Covington outside the restaurant. In the video, Covington said, “He’s over here swinging, trying to come at me, and I ran.” Covington reportedly told police that Masvidal caused $15,000 worth of damage to his $90,000 Rolex.
The report states Masvidal told Covington, “You shouldn’t have been talking about my kids.” Masvidal didn’t like that Covington was talking about his relationship with his children ahead of their fight at UFC 272 on March 5. Covington won the fight vial unanimous decision.
In an interview with UFC legend Michael Bisping, Covington said, “What I say to that Michael is words (and) actions. If you didn’t have these actions I wouldn’t be able to have anything to talk about if he wasn’t a deadbeat dad, he doesn’t even talk to his kids. He’s tried to erase the mother of his children and his wife still legally on paper – Marisa Masvidal from the history of the internet.”
Masvidal, 37, is one of the more popular fighters in the UFC. Before losing to Covington, Masvidal took on Kamaru Usman for the Welterweight Championship twice and lost both bouts. Covington, 34, is also popular among UFC fans and was the interim Welterweight Champion in 2016 before being stripped of the title. And like Masvidal, Covington lost to current welterweight champion Usman twice.
