Jorge Masvidal promised to take out Gilbert Burns at UFC 287.
On April 8, Masvidal steps into the Octagon for his 22nd UFC appearance. After losing his last three fights, ‘Gamebred’ looks to bounce back against Gilbert Burns, who secured an impressive first-round submission against Neil Magny in January. During an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the Miami native had this to say about his mentality heading into UFC 287:
“First thing is like Gilbert [Burns] and the stretcher because he’s trying to send me back here. He’s trying to take my money away, and I know his little Brazilian ass is. He has that envy in his eye, I see it in his f*cking face. He wants to be me, he wants what I have… He wants the draw that I am in this sport. It’s not gonna happen, buddy. I’ll f*ck you up bad, brother. You know what? I’ll send you a gift basket, ’cause I got a lot of money now, to the hospital bed you’re in.”
Masvidal became a worldwide superstar after his unforgettable three-fight winning streak against Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz. Since then, the American Top Team affiliate has suffered two welterweight championship losses against Kamaru Usman and a disappointing decision defeat against his rival Colby Covington.
Watch Jorge Masvidal’s interview with Brett Okamoto below:
Jorge Masvidal opens up about what he means to Miami
Jorge Masvidal will have his hometown crowd with him at UFC 287, which goes down inside the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida. Although Masvidal is a draw worldwide, there’s nowhere that supports him as much as South Florida. During the same interview with Brett Okamoto, ‘Gamebred’ had this to say about what he means to Miami:
“When people see me, no matter what part of the city, no matter what their background, if they’re caucasian, if they’re freaking Haitian, if they’re Jamaican, if they’re Columbian, when they see me, they lose their mind ‘cause I am the city, bro. I am Miami-Dade. I’m the dude that didn’t have this or that or wasn’t the perfect fit for this or that, but the same mentality we all have when we get here, that we all still have here, it’s like that immigrant mentality…”
Masvidal continued by saying:
“I’m not a f*cking victim. I don’t care what you say. Color of my skin or my IQ or this and that, I’m not a victim and I’m not gonna sit back in the passenger seat for anybody. I’m gonna be in control, driving this vehicle towards the destiny that I want and that’s Miami right there. So, when people see me, they lose their f*cking mind because they know I embody that sh*t. Win or lose, I’m gonna go out there and give it my all.”
Masvidal’s desire to win in front of his hometown crowd is easier said than done. Since losing to Kamaru Usman in February 2021, Gilbert Burns has taken out Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, barely lost a fight-of-the-year candidate against Khamzat Chimaev and made a statement against Neil Magny. ‘Durinho’ looks to continue growing his platform with another entertaining performance at UFC 287.
