(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the identity of Masvidal’s father, the charge against him, and other details.)
Jorge Masvidal’s father was arrested late Thursday charged with attempted murder following a shooting at Masvidal’s Miami home.
Jorge Fernandez Masvidal, 67, was booked into jail early Friday in Miami-Dade (Fla.) County and charged with second-degree attempted murder with a deadly weapon. Police records show he posted $10,000 bond.
In a statement released to MMA Junkie on Thursday following initial news reports in Miami, the Miami-Dade Police Department said officers responded to a residence on SW 118th Avenue in Miami with Masvidal as its listed owner. Upon arrival, a man shot in his upper extremities was being helped by a emergency response team.
Masvidal, police said, “was not present during the incident and did not have any involvement.”
The victim, according to the police, said he was in an argument, then the subject allegedly pulled a gun and shot him. Police did not say at the time what the relationship was between Masvidal’s father as the alleged shooter and victim, or Masvidal, but confirmed all people on the scene who were questioned knew each other.
Masvidal is promoting his latest Gamebred Bareknuckle boxing venture Friday in South Florida with fellow former UFC fighter Roy Nelson atop the card.
He retired in April with a 35-17 MMA record that extends back to May 2003. Prior to his MMA debut, however, Masvidal carved out his spot in combat sports notoriety as a member of the backyard street fight competitors made famous by the late Kimbo Slice.
For the two decades that followed his MMA launch, Masvidal competed for the UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator, among other promotions. A Strikeforce merger import, Masvidal made his UFC debut in April 2013 when he defeated Tim Means by unanimous decision.
Over the next six years, Masvidal had ups and downs. In March 2019, a massive knockout win over Darren Till in England kickstarted a late and somewhat unexpected run to stardom. The victory set him up for the signature moment of his career, a 5-second flying knee knockout of rival Ben Askren at UFC 239 in July 2019.
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The win skyrocketed Masvidal’s popularity and positioned him for a UFC anomaly, a “BMF” title bout against Nate Diaz at UFC 244 in November 2019. Masvidal beat Diaz by doctor’s stoppage due to a cut. The win eventually earned him a crack at then-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 in July 2020. Masvidal took the bout on short notice and was defeated by unanimous decision.
In his next fight at UFC 261 in April 2021, Masvidal competed in a rematch against Usman. That time, Usman knocked out Masvidal with a hellacious right hand. It was the first time Masvidal had been stopped with strikes outside of a previous doctor’s stoppage.
The losing skid for Masvidal extended to three at UFC 272 in March 2022 when he lost a unanimous decision to friend-turned-enemy Colby Covington. In the weeks following the bout, Masvidal was arrested for an alleged assault on Covington outside of a Miami steakhouse. Covington told police Masvidal verbalized during the attack his disdain at comments Covington made about Masvidal’s family in the lead-up to their fight. Masvidal still faces two felony charges; court proceedings are ongoing.
The loss to Burns in March was Masvidal’s fourth in a row, which put him on the longest skid of his professional career.