Jorge Masvidal can’t shake off his last loss inside the Octagon.
The two-time welterweight title contender walked away from MMA following a unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 last year. It was his fourth straight defeat dating back to back-to-back losses against then-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Recently, ‘Gamebred’ revealed that he was unretiring, though he offered little insight into what that meant. Today, we know a bit more courtesy of an interview Masvidal did with FanSided’s Amy Kaplan. Masvidal announced that he would make his professional boxing debut later this year, but perhaps more surprisingly, he revealed that the loss he took against Burns still haunts him to this very day.
“I’m definitely unretired, I’m definitely going to hurt some people, and I’m definitely going to box this year,” Masvidal said. “I just want to get in the best shape possible, get in that cage again, and give it all I’ve got. I can’t go out on a f*cking L, either. The more I think about it, it hurts me and haunts me, so I’m coming back just to rearrange someone’s face, or faces.”
When Masvidal does decide to strap on the eight-ounce gloves, it will almost certainly be under his own banner, Gamebred Boxing. No official details have been released, but rumors have been circulating that the former BMF titleholder may go toe-to-toe with Nate Diaz in a rematch of their UFC 244 clash.
Jorge Masvidal Addresses Potential UFC Return
Masvidal was also asked about the upcoming UFC 306 pay-per-view scheduled to emanate from The Sphere in Las Vegas this September. The event was previously announced as Noche UFC — the promotion’s annual Mexican Independence Day celebration — before being switched to PPV.
“The UFC would have to call me for that one in particular, and work out a rather handsome deal,” he replied when questioned about potentially fighting at the event. “But for now, my mind is more on boxing, I’m not looking to do MMA immediately,” Masvidal clarified. “Would I do it? Of course, I love it, it’s my favorite thing in the world. But for right now, I want to do some boxing before I even think about doing MMA.”
Jorge Masvidal closed out his MMA career going 35-17. During his run with the UFC, he earned seven combined performance bonuses and still holds the record for the fastest knockout in promotional history with his five-second finish of Ben Askren at UFC 239.
Watch the full interview below:
