Jorge Masvidal hinted ahead of UFC 287 that it could be his swan song if things didn’t go his way against Gilbert Burns in his hometown.
Following a unanimous decision loss to Burns in Saturday’s co-main event at the Kaseya Center in Miami, “Gamebred” officially called it a career after 52 documented professional MMA bouts.
"I love everybody here," Masvidal said. “This is where I started my career. It's been a long 20 years, 50-some fights. Sometimes your favorite basketball player don't have that 3-pointer no more. Your favorite quarterback loses that rifle. I don't feel the same when I get in here no more. It's been 20 long years.”
Long a favorite among hardcore fans, Masvidal gained mainstream appeal with a breakout 2019 campaign that saw him defeat Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz inside the distance. The victory over Askren, in particular, was a star-making effort, as Masvidal set a UFC record for fastest finish with a five-second, flying knee KO of the former Bellator champion.
“That flying knee changed his life,” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “When he threw that flying, knee it changed his whole life.”
That led to a headlining appearance opposite Diaz at Madison Square Garden with the “BMF” title at stake at UFC 244 — sealing Masvidal’s arrival as one of the sport’s biggest stars. He never reached that pinnacle again, ending his career on a four-bout skid that included a pair of losses in welterweight title fights against Kamaru Usman. Although he never captured UFC gold, Masvidal did well for himself.
"I love this f---ing sport," Masvidal said. "I'm a multi-millionaire. I didn't start with nothing. I can say I'm good for life now.”
White agreed with Masvidal’s decision to hang up the four-ounce gloves at 38 years old.
“As soon as you think about retiring, you should in this business,” White said. “He’s made a lot of money. He made a lot of money tonight. He’s got a lot of things going on outside the octagon too, like Conor [McGregor] does and some of these other guys. I think he’s proved everything he needed to prove to himself and changed his family’s life, and why not?”
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