Jorge Masvidal had no doubts about retiring.
But he still has frustrations about the way his career ended.
Masvidal left his gloves in the cage last month at UFC 287. In front of a hometown crowd in Miami, he announced his retirement in the moments following his loss to Gilbert Burns.
“I’m proud of what I did,” says Masvidal. “I put my hard hat on, and I did some dope f---ing s---. But it’s bittersweet. I’m set for my life and I’m a household name, but if I could do it all over again, I would. There is a lot more I could have done. I fought all over the world and I had a great career, but I didn’t accomplish everything I set out to do. That will always burn inside me. But I’m forever grateful for fighting. I’ll take those lessons with me for life.”
Even if Masvidal had defeated Burns, his retirement was imminent.
“If I had knocked Gilbert out in the final second, I still would have retired,” says Masvidal. “My speed and reflex, they aren’t the same as they used to be. That’s what made me special. I could dodge those bullets. Now I’m just like all the other guys.”
Only 38, Masvidal could reconsider and make a comeback. Yet that is extremely unlikely, he confirmed, though he still left the door slightly ajar for such a possibility.
“I don’t deserve a title shot,” says Masvidal. “But if I got offered it, I don’t know how I could say no.”
Stepping away from the cage does not mean Masvidal will be removed from the fight game. His Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA holds its Cinco de Mayo Fight Card later tonight at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
The promotion follows the unified rules of MMA, but without gloves. The fights consist of three rounds of five minutes each, and tonight’s event is headlined by a main event featuring a heavyweight bout pitting Roy Nelson against Dillon Cleckler.
“When I set up the card, I asked myself if I’d spend my money to see these guys scrap,” says Masvidal. “Then I called my friends and get feedback. It is a great card, and I want people to be happy with it since they are spending their hard-earned money for it. I’ve got to keep the fan base happy.”
Masvidal’s career and personal life are a mix of nonstop excitement and controversy. In addition to an ongoing legal battle with former ATT teammate Colby Covington, a different incident with the law occurred yesterday at his home when Masvidal’s father was arrested for attempted murder. Masvidal, police confirmed, was not present when the shooting occurred.
More recently, Masvidal had received criticism for praising former United States President Donald Trump, who was in the crowd for UFC 287. Speaking from the heart, Masvidal shared his affinity for Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
“This is the greatest country in the world, and I have to speak up for it—and those who don’t like that I speak out, this weeds them out,” says Masvidal. “I don’t get a f---ing dollar from President Trump or the Republican party. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I don’t like the current administration. We need to get them out, so I liked having Trump there. And I respect the governor [DeSantis], too. He made sure UFC still happened in Florida during the pandemic, bringing some normalcy back to our lives. So I had to give a shout-out to my guys.”
The current focus for Masvidal is promoting fights. He just ran a successful boxing event, and he is hungry to give fight fans even more opportunities to watch entertaining bouts.
“Violence and precise violence, that’s what is in store,” says Masvidal. “I helped set up this Gamebred card from top to bottom, so I’m super excited about it. It’s going to be f---ing amazing.”
UFC 288 should end with a new champion
UFC 288 has the potential to be a memorable card.
Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns compete for a future welterweight title shot, and Kron Gracie makes his return to the Octagon against Charles Jourdain. After suffering a one-sided defeat to Erin Blanchfield in February, Jéssica Andrade seeks a piece of redemption, which she will find—but only if she can overcome a tough opponent in Yan Xiaonan. Drew Dober–Matt Frevola closes out the prelim card, and that also has the potential to be explosive.
But the 288 card is centered on its marquee bout. Aljamain Sterling faces his toughest challenge to date in Henry Cejudo, and both men are chasing history. If Sterling wins, that will mark his third straight successful bantamweight title defense, a new UFC record. If Cejudo is victorious, he will win the bantamweight belt for a second time, adding another piece of gold to a collection that already includes an Olympic gold medal and prior reigns as bantamweight and flyweight champion.
Cejudo will always possess an edge in wrestling, but striking will loom large in this bout. Sterling has had a solid run as champ (hurt, unfairly, by TJ Dillashaw competing in their fight while injured), but it feels like Cejudo will be too tough a puzzle for him to solve.
A new champion should be crowned Saturday, closing out UFC 288 in style.
Cris Cyborg signs new deal with Bellator
Cris Cyborg signed an exclusive, multifight deal that keeps her with Bellator.
At 37, she remains a top-level fighter. Cyborg is undefeated in her five bouts in Bellator. Although there was interest in a PFL bout against Kayla Harrison, it never truly appeared Cyborg was planning to leave Bellator. Ultimately, she meant more to Bellator than any other promotion, and Cyborg responded by agreeing to a new deal.
Cyborg (26–2, 1 NC) is an all-time great. She is the only fighter in MMA history to win titles in UFC, Strikeforce, Invicta FC and Bellator, and her unbeaten streak from November 2005 to December ’18 is a legitimate piece of history.
There is also competition for Cyborg in Bellator. As the reigning women’s featherweight champion, the potential exists for a long overdue bout against Cat Zingano, as well as a fight with Sara McMann.
The Pick ’Em Section:
UFC 288 bantamweight title bout: Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Henry Cejudo
Pick: Henry Cejudo
UFC 288 welterweight bout: Gilbert Burns vs. Belal Muhammad
Pick: Belal Muhammad
UFC 288 featherweight bout: Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain
Pick: Kron Gracie
ONE Fight Night 10 flyweight title bout: Demetrious Johnson (c) vs. Adriano Moraes
Pick: Demetrious Johnson
ONE Fight Night 10 welterweight bout: Roberto Soldić vs. Zebaztian Kadestam
Pick: Roberto Soldić
Last week: 3–3
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
