UFC fighter and commentator Anthony Smith thinks Jorge Masvidal's hate for Colby Covington ended up being his downfall.

Covington went as far as invoking Masvidal's personal life, specifically his ex-wife and children, into the mental warfare. This appeared to amp the intensity even more during fight week.

After the fight, Masvidal explained that he felt "flat" with his wrestling and that it was a major factor in his loss. This prompted critiques from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and others on his post-fight comments.

During a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast with Michael Bisping, Anthony Smith gave a unique insight into why he believes Masvidal fell to Covington at UFC 272.

"But I figured it out afterwards after seeing him fight. He talked about being flat, but I think he was so mentally and emotionally exhausted from his absolute hate and rage. That kind of anger and hate, even if you're holding it in and you're not letting it come out in your fight style, that's so much stress. And it's exhausting, it's mentally and emotionally exhausting, and that's always gonna kinda transfer to your fight style and to your own conditioning. I think he hated him too much. "

Covington hasn't backed away from trash-talking Masvidal in the aftermath of their fight. He recently used Masvidal's pre-fight "headline" prediction against him in an Instagram post.

Masvidal has squashed speculation that he may opt to retire after the loss to Covington. He seems intent on a rematch with Covington down the line and returning to the magic he found in 2019.

UFC fighter and commentator Anthony Smith thinks Jorge Masvidal's hate for Colby Covington ended up being his downfall.

Covington went as far as invoking Masvidal's personal life, specifically his ex-wife and children, into the mental warfare. This appeared to amp the intensity even more during fight week.

After the fight, Masvidal explained that he felt "flat" with his wrestling and that it was a major factor in his loss. This prompted critiques from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and others on his post-fight comments.

During a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast with Michael Bisping, Anthony Smith gave a unique insight into why he believes Masvidal fell to Covington at UFC 272.

"But I figured it out afterwards after seeing him fight. He talked about being flat, but I think he was so mentally and emotionally exhausted from his absolute hate and rage. That kind of anger and hate, even if you're holding it in and you're not letting it come out in your fight style, that's so much stress. And it's exhausting, it's mentally and emotionally exhausting, and that's always gonna kinda transfer to your fight style and to your own conditioning. I think he hated him too much. "

Covington hasn't backed away from trash-talking Masvidal in the aftermath of their fight. He recently used Masvidal's pre-fight "headline" prediction against him in an Instagram post.

Masvidal has squashed speculation that he may opt to retire after the loss to Covington. He seems intent on a rematch with Covington down the line and returning to the magic he found in 2019.