UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has criticized Colby Covington and suggested that other welterweights should refuse to fight him following Jorge Masvidal's arrest for an alleged attack outside a Miami restaurant.
On Monday evening, a hooded Masvidal allegedly continued the pair's beef stemming from a headline fight at UFC 272, which Covington won by unanimous decision, by sucker-punching Covington twice outside Papi Steak on 1st Street in Miami Beach and screaming: "Don't talk about my kids!".
In a social media post, Nurmagomedov backed Masvidal and said that "if you are stronger than someone inside the octagon, it does not mean that you can insult his children.
"No one has the right to insult someone's family," added Nurmagomedov, who has received similar provocation from Conor McGregor regarding his late father Abdulmanap.
"Once you have gone down this path, then be ready to back up your words," Nurmagomedov warned, using the hashtag 'FamilyFirst' in his post.
"You were attacked by [a] professional fighter, the same as you are, your own size, and you go press charges against him to the police?" he asked, with Masvidal facing felony charges for one count of aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm and one count of criminal mischief for the alleged assault that left Covington with a fractured tooth and an abrasion to his left wrist.
"I think all welterweights should refuse to fight Colby," Nurmagomedov suggested. "Just don't accept fights with him, let him sit without a fight, it will probably significantly affect him and all fighters who even think of insulting families, who [are] provoking the fighters to look for someone in restaurants to deal with him," Nurmagomedov concluded.
Meanwhile Masvidal was arrested by Miami Beach Police on Wednesday at 10:27pm local time before being released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $15,000 bond, with a video showing him jogging into the police station in handcuffs.
"What’s open right now?" Masvidal tweeted in the early hours of Thursday morning in Miami after regaining his freedom.
If found guilty, though, the 35-16 veteran faces up to 15 years behind bars and or a $10,000 fine for second-degree felony aggravated battery as additional penalties are possible from his criminal mischief charge.
An affidavit police publicly issued added two previously unknown details. These entail unnamed victim Covington, who has requested anonymity under Marsy's Law, reporting $15,000's worth of damage to his $90,000 Rolex wrist watch that was allegedly bent and scratched in the fracas.
In addition to this, Masvidal, who posted a video to social media the morning after the alleged attack and seemed unscathed, was booked with stitches and a visible injury on his right hand.
Less than 10 hours before his arrest, Masvidal was on a Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) call and stated that he hadn't been charged as the decision was made to delay a hearing that will determine whether his Gambred Promotions company can put on events in the state. Masvidal also said the incident was "mutual" but neglected the chance to go into detail without his lawyer present.
Masvidal is accused of running up to Covington and punching him twice – once in the mouth and once in the left eye – after Covington left Papi Steak.
"You shouldn’t have been talking about my kids," Masvidal allegedly said to the victim, who has described "three or four other unknown males approaching him in an aggressive manner".
A police report said that Covington "pushed one of the unknown males away and separated himself from the attackers and ran back into the Papi Steak restaurant where he contacted police".
Video footage obtained by TMZ has shown officers surrounding Covington after the incident and him saying to podcast star Bob Menery: "He's over here swinging, trying to come at me, and I ran," before asking: "How would he know I'm here?"
Menery gave the group containing himself, Covington and the Nelk brothers' location away however by writing that Papi Steak "is that spotttttttt" in an Instagram and calling Covington "the king of motherf*cking Miami" in a repetition of a boast that Masvidal also seems to have taken offense to given that it is his birthplace and Covington's new adopted hometown.
Other footage from TMZ shows Masvidal being held back by a group of men after his clash with Covington and shouting: "Don't talk about my kids!".
"I got you, b*tch," Masvidal also claims, before fleeing in a car waiting for him.
Masivdal has addressed the row more directly in two social media posts. In a video, he said to Covington:"You talk that s***, you got to back it up. That's how my city rolls, man" and he also tweeted: "Good morning to everyone except those that think talking about someone’s kids is cool."
Ex-welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, who ruled the division before being succeeded by current king and twice victor against both Masvidal and Covington, Kamaru Usman, would agree with Nurmagomedov's stance.
"Colby Covington’s a ho if he’s trying to press charges on my dog," Woodley scoffed in an Instagram Live session.
"A fight’s a fight. You just fought him in a cage. If ya’ll still ain’t settled it by then, then s**t might have to go again. It might be for free this time," he added.