A UFC legend is calling it a career. Following his loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287, Jorge Masvidal announced his retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA). Masvidal has lost his last four matches, including two against Kmaru Usman and one against Colby Covington.
“I love everybody here,” Masvidal said, per ESPN. “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.”
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Masvidal made his UFC debut in 2013 after spending time in Bellator and Strikeforce. One of the biggest wins in his UFC and MMA career came on Mar. 16, 2019, when he defeated Darren Till in two rounds. He followed that up with a victory against Ben Askren in July 2019, and the match feated the fasted knockout in UFC history. In that match, Masvidal hit Askren with a flying knee five seconds into the first round. In November 2019, Masvidal defeated Nate Diaz and won the symbolic “BMF” title.
Before the match at UFC 287, Masvidal spoke on the organization’s countdown episode and said he would retire if he lost the match. “This could be the last one,” he said, per MMA Junkie. “If I lose, I’m pretty much calling it quits. But a win against Gilbert means that things are headed in the right direction. So if I roll the dice and do everything right, I’m going for it all.”
UFC President Dana White shared his thoughts on Masvidal retiring and said he made the right move. “Listen, as soon as you think about retiring, you should in this business,” White said per MMA Fighting. “He’s made a lot of money. He made a lot of money tonight. He’s got things outside the octagon going on too, like Conor [McGregor] does and some of these other guys, and I think he’s proved everything he needed to prove to himself. He changed his family’s life, and why not?” Masvidal competed in 52 MMA matches and finished with an overall record of 35-17.
