Colby Covington met at UFC 272 earlier this month after a unilateral unanimous decision on Jorge Masvidal, but he apparently has unfinished business.
Masvidal is suspected of a felony in connection with Monday's brawl, according to a Miami Beach police report obtained by ESPN. Miami Beach Police Public Information Officer Ernesto Rodriguez told ESPN that the other person involved, who lost a tooth, was not identified after Marcy's law enforced that right.
Masvidal tagged Covington in a tweet and said in the accompanying video: "You talk that---, you gotta back it up. That's how my town rolls, man."
TMZ, which obtained video from the incident showing police at the scene in front of Miami Beach hot spot Papi Steak, caught Covington on camera saying: "He's swinging here, trying to get at me, and I ran. ... How would he know I'm here?"
Masvidal's manager, Malki Kawa, did not respond to a message seeking comment.
After replying at 10:55 pm, the other person told the police. ET reported that he was attacked by Masweedle when he was leaving the restaurant. According to the person, Masvidal ran from the left and sucker-punched him twice. One punch hit his face and the other hit his left eye. During the attack the man said, Masvidal told him, "You shouldn't have talked about my kids." Masvidal repeated a similar statement on social media.
The man suffered a fracture in his left tooth and an abrasion in his left wrist. According to the man's account, Masvidal was wearing a blue surgical mask and a hoodie that covered his head. He was able to identify Masvidal, he said, because of his trademark curly hair that protruded from his voice and the hoodie in addition to the upper part of his face.
Masvidal, 37, hails from Miami, while Covington now lives in the city. They exchanged heated words in the lead-up to their friend-turned-foe UFC bout, which was dubbed Fight of the Night.
It was Masvidal's third consecutive loss, including two losses to Kamaru Osman, in his attempts to win the UFC Welterweight Championship. He signed an extension with the UFC before the fight.
Covington, 34, recovered from his loss at the hands of Osman to win over Masvidal. He is currently ranked No. 2 in Welterweight by ESPN.