Jorge Masvidal is looking to make his UFC comeback in the first quarter of 2025.
Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC) retired from MMA at UFC 287 in April 2023 after suffering his fourth consecutive loss to Gilbert Burns. He was granted permission while under contract with the UFC to box Nate Diaz in July, but lost the bout by majority decision.
It didn’t take long for “Gamebred” to get the itch to compete in MMA again, and hopes to return early next year.
“Next year in March, I’m there,” Masvidal said on Bo Nickal’s YouTube channel. “If they go to Miami, I’m going to f*ck somebody up in Miami.”
Despite Masvidal’s enthusiasm, UFC CEO Dana White said “probably not” when recently asked about the possibility of having both Tyron Woodley and Masvidal back to the UFC.
Masvidal, 39, capitalized on his time off since retiring from MMA to rest his body. He may have been prepping for a boxing match, but he wasn’t putting his body through strenuous sparring sessions, as well as grappling and jiu-jitsu.
“There’s nothing more f*cking demanding in this world, sport-wise, than MMA,” Masvidal said. “Because when you add in the wrestling, mixed with the f*cking knees to your nose, mixed with people trying to choke you out, and then the strength and conditioning we’ve got to do to keep it up, to be able to stay healthy. In a way, time away from MMA is like getting healthy (laughs).”
