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“I don’t necessarily like two American Top Team guys fighting each other. There’s a lot of complexities to it. Yeah, it’s a good problem to have but not necessarily great for the gym.”
Longtime teammates turned American Top Team (ATT) rivals Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington might want to throw down in the Octagon but head coach Mike Brown would like to see both men go their separate ways.
Brown, who coached Masvidal to victory earlier this month at UFC 244, has also worked with Covington in the past and thinks a teammate vs. teammate situation at ATT would be terrible for all involved.
“The Covington thing is complex because it’s another guy who comes out of [American Top Team] so it has more complexities,” Brown told MMA Fighting in a recent interview. “I don’t necessarily like the idea of guys fighting each other. It doesn’t bother Jorge at all but I would prefer not to see that.
“I don’t necessarily like two American Top Team guys fighting each other. There’s a lot of complexities to it. Yeah, it’s a good problem to have but not necessarily great for the gym.”
Masvidal recently beat Nate Diaz to win the ‘BMF’ title and, should Covington beat Kamaru Usman at UFC 245, ‘Gamebred’ could soon be fighting his teammate for the official UFC welterweight title.
Brown, however, would prefer to see his prized student accept a ‘money fight’ against Conor McGregor rather than take on ‘Chaos’ for the welterweight strap.
“Of course the belt is really important and Conor [McGregor] is a really big fight, too,” Brown said. “I’m a little split. I’m kind of with Jorge here. Maybe the best idea is just to take the money fight.”
Masvidal, a UFC veteran of over six years and the promotion’s first ever BMF champ, is one of the most popular fighters on the roster and has won his last three fights via stoppage. The ex-street fighter is currently ranked #3 in the UFC welterweight rankings.