UFC star Jorge Masvidal will have his day in court next month.
Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Courts online records show that Masvidal on Thursday entered a written plea of not guilty to one count each of aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm and criminal mischief. The charges stem from an alleged physical altercation with rival UFC fighter Colby Covington outside a restaurant Monday night.
Masvidal is scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. local time on April 21.
Masvidal entered his plea after being arrested by Miami Beach police and booked into jail Wednesday. He posted a $5,000 bond and was released the same night.
On the night of the incident, Masvidal posted a video on Twitter in which he identified Covington and bragged about what transpired. That video has since been deleted.
During a call with the Nevada Athletic Commission on Wednesday, Masvidal described what happened as “a mutual combatance with another athlete.”
Covington was not explicitly named in the police report, which stated the victim invoked “Marsy’s Law” to protect their information. However, a bystander’s cell phone video shows Masvidal being restrained while he’s yelling at Covington moments after the altercation. Video also shows Covington speaking to police.
According to the police report, the victim fractured a tooth and suffered a wrist abrasion, alleging Masvidal ran up from his left and punched him twice in the face (once in the mouth and once in the left eye) upon leaving Papi Steak restaurant. Masvidal allegedly said, “You shouldn’t have been talking about my kids.” The victim described a group of “three or four other unknown males approaching him in an aggressive manner.” Police said that, at that point, the victim “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.”
The victim told police that Masvidal was wearing a blue surgical mask, a hoodie over his head and sweatpants. In Florida, an aggravated battery charge can be elevated from a second-degree felony offense to a first-degree offense if the alleged offender wore a “hood, mask, or other device that concealed his or her identity,” according to criminal statute 775.0845.
If found guilty, Masvidal could face up to 15 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine for second-degree felony aggravated battery with additional penalties possible for the criminal mischief charge. A first-degree felony aggravated battery charge for allegedly concealing his identity could yield a prison sentence of up to 30 years.
Earlier this month, Covington and Masvidal spent 25 minutes fighting each other in the UFC 272 headliner lopsidedly won by Covington. The matchup was the culmination of a bitter feud between the two men who used to be best friends and teammates at American Top Team.
Afterward, Covington, who now trains at MMA Masters, declared himself the “king of Miami,” which Masvidal took exception to. Both men indicated they would fight again outside of the octagon if they ran into each other in public.