Chael Sonnen reveals what made him believe that personal grudge between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal is real

Chael Sonnen believes that Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal genuinely despise each other.

Sonnen said some fighters try to fabricate rivalries to bolster the anticipation for their bouts. In the case of Covington vs. Masvidal, however, Sonnen fully believes the grudge is as real as it gets. During an episode of his YouTube show, Sonnen said:

"We see guys constantly try to manufacture conflict. They'll get on the stage and try to have a quick barb at this guy, hoping that he'll barb back, and all of a sudden, they'd be mad at each other. When the fight is already signed, doesn't work the same."

Sonnen then elaborated on why he thinks the rivalry between the former training partners is legitimate. 'The American Gangster' explained:

"It's not about some prestige or about some money. I didn't hear one of these guys complain about anything. Colby is asking Dana, 'Let me have this match.' Masvidal is asking Dana, 'Let me have this match.' There could be more behind it. Maybe there was a great big negotiation and it just stayed away from me but I found it refreshing that I didn't have to hear about it. Why the hell do I want to watch two guys fight for if one of them doesn't want to fight?"

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal:

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Chael Sonnen explains the mindsets of Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington

Chael Sonnen also shared what he believes is Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington's motivation for agreeing to fight. According to Sonnen:

"There's some things that make special matches. For sure, personal grudge [is at the] top of the list. But when it's about honor... When you have two workout partners who know full well how this fight is gonna go. I don't know, you guys don't know... These two guys know and whoever is coming up short doesn't care. 'Go ahead and have your hand raised, I will go ahead and break your nose before you do it.' That means something."

Covington and Masvidal, of course, were once close friends and training partners in the American Top Team. However, the duo had a falling out in 2018 that led to Covington getting kicked out of the gym.

The arch-rivals will square off in the main event of UFC 272 in March. It will be a rare instance of a non-title bout headlining a numbered event.