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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff Writer
Jorge Masvidal pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge Monday in a case stemming from an alleged attack on his former friend and UFC rival Colby Covington in March 2022, Masvidal’s attorney Saam Zangeneh confirmed with ESPN.
The two felony charges Masvidal was facing, one for aggravated battery and another for criminal mischief, were dropped in a plea deal. Masvidal was sentenced to time served — he spent several hours in jail and made multiple court appearances over the course of the past 20 months — and court costs.
According to Miami-Dade County court records, Masvidal’s case is considered a conviction with credit for time served.
Masvidal posted a video on Instagram with the caption: “Victory Monday!”
Masvidal was accused of attacking Covington outside a steakhouse in Miami Beach on March 21, 2022, punching him twice. The incident occurred a little more than two weeks after Covington beat Masvidal in a UFC fight, which featured a heated build and trash talk where Masvidal took exception to things Covington said about Masvidal’s children. Masvidal and Covington used to be best friends and roommates before an ugly split.
“This case was bulls—,” Bradford Cohen, also a Masvidal attorney, wrote on Instagram. “Colby threatens to kill my client on sight. Instead of living up to that threat, he runs and hides behind a hostess stand. Then files criminal charges. Colby is a real millennial.”
The police report said Covington suffered a chipped or broken tooth, and Covington later claimed to the court that he sustained a brain injury due to the blows.
Masvidal, 38, retired from the UFC in April after several years of being one of the top stars of the promotion. He told ESPN last month that he plans to return to competition in boxing in early 2024.