Jorge Masvidal has been one of the most popular fighters in the UFC for the last three years. Now, he is set to become one of the promotion’s top five highest-paid athletes as well.
Just a few days before a massive main event spot at UFC 272 on March 5, “Gamebred” has reportedly put pen to paper on a new pact with the organization he has called home since 2013. Masvidal’s First Round Management agent Malki Kawa announced the news on his Instagram account on Thursday.Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Kawa proclaimed that the deal will make his client one of the top-five highest-paid athletes on the roster.
Masvidal will face former friend-turned-hated enemy, Colby Covington, on Saturday night inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will serve as the card’s pay-per-view headliner. It is the 37-year-old's fourth straight bout in the main event of a UFC card PPV.
Jorge Masvidal re-signs with the UFC
Masvidal has had a well-traveled career that began 19 years ago. The former street fighter from Florida has competed for Strikeforce, Bellator and Bodog during his tenure in the sport. Masvidal won 10 of his first 15 bouts inside the Octagon, but it wasn’t until 2019 that he would truly break through as a star in the Octagon.
Three years ago, Masvidal had a career year when he won three consecutive fights by knockout over some of the biggest names in the welterweight division at the time.
To start the year, he scored a stunning knockout of Darren Till in front of his countrymen in England. Then he set a UFC record with a five-second KO of former Bellator and ONE Championship titlist Ben Askren. He would end his outstanding year with a technical knockout win over fan-favorite Nate Diaz in a main event spot at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
“[Masvidal’s] contract pays him like a champion and then some,” Kawa told ESPN on Thursday night. “And the length of time will be that he will finish his career in the UFC.”
UFC 272 kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET with preliminary action on ESPN+. The core prelims begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on the streaming service and on ESPN. The main card PPV for $74.99 follows at 10:00 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+.
More must-reads: