Jorge Masvidal retired to pull out of USADA pool and use steroids, says Colby Covington

Earlier this month, welterweight superstar Jorge Masvidal decided to hang up his gloves following a defeat to Gilbert Burns in their three-round bout at UFC 287.

Given that the 38-year old Masvidal had not won a fight since beating Nate Diaz in 2019 and had lost his last four bouts, it was hardly a surprising decision to many. After all, the loss to Burns was the 52nd fight for ‘Gamebred’, who debuted back in 2003.

Unfortunately for the Miami favorite, his bitter rival Colby Covington has come out with an alternative theory for why Masvidal has now chosen to step away from MMA.

In a YouTube interview with Inside Fighting, ‘Chaos’ essentially accused ‘Gamebred’ of faking his retirement to escape drug testing – allowing him to take anabolic steroids:

“It’s a fake retirement...we all know people in the UFC that don’t retire, they’ll get out of the USADA pool, probably go do some steroids, and come back because he doesn’t know how to make money in any other way than fighting.”

Catch the interview below:

In the same interview, Covington labeled Masvidal 'dumb' and claimed he’d basically retired him when they fought in 2022.

It is worth noting that Jorge Masvidal was never linked to using performance enhancing drugs during his MMA career, nor did he ever test positive, even during the USADA era in the UFC.

In fact, last month saw ‘Gamebred’ presented with a jacket from the promotion to commemorate 50 clean tests in the USADA anti-doping program.

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Why do Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal have an ongoing feud?

Most bitter rivals who face off in the UFC octagon can find a way to bury the hatchet, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal.

The former teammates fought in the main event of UFC 272 last March, and the fight ended with Covington securing a five-round decision victory.

However, ‘Gamebred’ seemed unable to bury the hatchet after the fight, and is currently in legal hot water after allegedly assaulting Covington outside a Miami restaurant weeks after their bout.

Covington allegedly suffered two broken teeth during the incident. Masvidal was later arrested and charged with aggravated battery and criminal mischief after the alleged assault, although he later pleaded not guilty to both felonies.

Most recently, Jorge Masvidal’s pre-trial date was postponed until May 10, with the trial expected to start on May 22.