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Dana White mediates a face-off between Donald Cerrone and Jorge Masvidal at the UFC Denver ceremonial weigh-ins. Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Jorge Masvidal had $200k bet to offer Dana White after he destroyed a UFC legend in brutal beatdown

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated Jan 28, 2026 11:06 PM ET

Jorge Masvidal was not short on confidence after battering a UFC Hall of Famer nine years ago today.

The former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger and BMF champion boasts plenty of memorable wins on his UFC résumé.

But not many of them can compete with Masvidal’s performance on this day, January 28, in 2017.

‘Gamebred’ fought in the co-main event of a UFC Fight Night in Denver, which was headlined by Valentina Shevchenko submitting Julianna Pena via armbar.

Masvidal took home a Performance of the Night bonus for his incredible effort, but he was willing to sacrifice that $50k and much more with the offer he made Dana White moments after his win.

Jorge Masvidal challenged Dana White to find a welterweight who could beat him after finishing Donald Cerrone

Masvidal had knocked out Jake Ellenberger and outpointed Ross Pearson in consecutive outings, so he entered the cage at UFC Denver riding high after starting his first winning streak in three years.

And his best display on that run was yet to come, as it came at the expense of then-future UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone.

‘Gamebred’ left the UFC president predicting potential title success for him down the line with the beatdown he put on ‘Cowboy’ in front of the veteran’s home crowd.

Having almost finished things at the end of round one, Masvidal knocked Cerrone out in the second with a relentless onslaught of punches that forced referee Herb Dean to intervene.

Masvidal was unsurprisingly high on self-belief after his third straight win, so much so that he offered White a $200k bet that he could not find a welterweight capable of defeating him.

“My coaches know if it’s a big fight, I’m going to be at the gym,” Masvidal said during his post-fight press conference after offering the bet.

“If they give me some pretender, or another actor, I don’t know, I might not take it.

“That’s why I told Dana, if you want me to fight, take me up on this bet: $200,000,” he continued. “You can’t find nobody in the welterweight division that can beat me. Nobody.”

Fortunately for Masvidal, the UFC president did not take him up on the offer. If he had, ‘Gamebred’ would have been down $200k, as he lost his very next fight to welterweight veteran Demian Maia via split decision.

That result was followed by another setback, with Stephen Thompson getting the better of Masvidal in the final result before his rise to superstardom in the UFC courtesy of a bumper 2019 inside the cage.

Jorge Masvidal retired after four-fight losing skid but is planning a UFC comeback

‘Gamebred’ returned from a layoff in style by reeling off three wins in a row to become one of MMA’s top names.

After finishing Darren Till in enemy territory, Masvidal’s record-setting KO against Ben Askren earned him a pay-per-view headliner against Nate Diaz at Madison Square Garden.

Masvidal has not had his hand raised since beating Diaz for the symbolic BMF title in November 2019, having retired following a defeat to Gilbert Burns in April 2023, which marked his fourth straight setback.

But the 41-year-old is looking to make his comeback three years later and has the perfect venue in mind for it.

Masvidal is teasing something special for his comeback, which he claims could come at the UFC’s White House event this coming June.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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