Tag: Jorge Masvidal

Chael Sonnen explains how Jorge Masvidal ‘has looked very thirsty as of late’

Calling out Leon Edwards? That’s a desperate move from Jorge Masvidal, according to Chael Sonnen.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] is making a desperate attempt by calling out [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag].

Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC), who’s still under contract with the UFC, is plotting an octagon return. He retired after losing a unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns in April 2023 – his fourth loss in a row – but has now changed his tune. Not only is “Gamebred” looking to fight again in the UFC, he wants to settle his grudge match with Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC), which never came to fruition. Sonnen is doubtful that happens.

“Masvidal has looked very thirsty as of late, and this is always a tough spot,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “You’re fighting for money, the same reason you will get up and go to work. It’s for the money, but there’s something about it where you have to pretend that it’s not about the money. There’s some sort of act in there. ‘This is who I am. This is what I do.’ That part is just needed and if you get away from that act, or you don’t sell it well enough, then you go into a category called ‘looking thirsty.’ If he’s calling out guys like Leon, that guy is a badass, and that is what Jorge Masvidal is. And now that fight wouldn’t make a lot of sense.

“That fight isn’t taking you anywhere. It’s not taking you to a title fight. It’s not a title fight. For those reasons, the fight makes more sense. That’s the whole reason we couldn’t do it before. One was champion, but the other wasn’t a top contender. Or before, one was a huge star and the other just wasn’t there yet. All of the things that got in the way once upon a time, now here we are. I don’t predict that they’re going to make that fight. In fact, quite the opposite. I don’t predict for you anybody at the age of 40 is going to get signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, including if it’s a re-signing.”

Masvidal boxed Nate Diaz in July, losing the bout by majority decision. Meanwhile, after going unbeaten in 13-straight fights, Edwards lost his welterweight title to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304.

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Daniel Cormier isn’t sure fans will care much to see Jorge Masvidal back in UFC

“Do you care today, in 2024, to see Jorge Masvidal come back and fight someone?”

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] isn’t sure if people will still be as interested in [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] if he returns to the UFC.

Masvidal retired from MMA in April 2023 after losing his fourth fight in a row against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. He was then granted permission while under contract with the UFC to box Nate Diaz in July. He lost the bout by majority decision.

Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC) said he’s definitely returning to the octagon, and even thinks a title run isn’t out of the question if he’s able to just take out one top contender.

“Nate looked pretty good that night, and I thought he won that fight, but then Masvidal starts to talk about fighting mixed martial arts again,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Look, I’m going to tell you this one thing: Jorge Masvidal should be commended for doing what he did to reach the levels of stardom that he did. Because when you look at his career as a whole, you really do see a guy that spent the vast majority of his prime, the vast majority of his youth as a middling fighter.

“It is what it is. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s what it was. … Remember, when he started his UFC career, nobody cared. But then he has that great year where he beats Darren Till, then he beats Ben Askren, then he beats Nate Diaz to become the BMF champion in 2019, Madison Square Garden, (The) Rock puts the belt on. His star never shines so bright.”

But at 39, with five consecutive combat sports losses, Cormier questions if Masvidal still has the pull that once landed him in the top 10 highest-selling pay-per-views in UFC history when he lost a title fight to Kamaru Usman at UFC 251.

“Look at the names on his resume,” Cormier said. “At the end of the day, when you look at the career as a whole, it boils down to one year where Jorge Masvidal made you guys care, and it made him a star. But my question to you now is, do you still care? Because that’s what he’s banking on, right? He’s 39 years old. He has lost his last four MMA fights. He lost a boxing match.

“He said he will come back, starch somebody, and the UFC would be begging him to fight for a championship. My question to you is, do you care now? Do you care like you did in 2019? Do you care like you did when he was on that amazing run where he made himself from a guy that was middling, from a guy that was a bit of a journeyman, into a main event attraction? Him and Kamaru Usman sold a boatload of pay-per-views. But do you care today, in 2024, to see Jorge Masvidal come back and fight someone?”

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Jorge Masvidal ‘definitely’ returning to UFC next: ‘Title run is never ever out of the question’

Who should Jorge Masvidal face in his UFC return?

The next time [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] competes, he says it will be in the UFC cage.

Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC) was granted permission while under contract with the UFC to box Nate Diaz in July. He lost the bout by majority decision.

Masvidal’s fire for MMA still burns, however. The 39-year-old says he still has plenty of fight left in him and he plots a UFC return.

“I had a blast doing the boxing. It was fun. It was everything, but there’s just nothing in the world that compares to MMA,” Masvidal recently told Grind City Media. “There ain’t sh*t in the world like MMA. I just finished up training at American Top Team right now and it’s just the funnest thing I’ve ever done in my life.

“There’s a lot of nights I went to sleep just missing it, just doing certain training or certain workouts. I f*cking love it, man. Definitely 100 percent back to MMA. I don’t know when I’m fighting, but I’m fighting either the end of this year or next year.”

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Masvidal retired after losing a unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 in April 2023 – his fourth loss in a row. However, not only does “Gamebred” intend on fighting again, the fan favorite is shooting for the top.

“When I get the biggest fights that I can possibly get, knock that motherf*cker dead, they’ll be begging me to fight for the title,” Masvidal said. “A title run is never ever out of the question. Especially for somebody as skilled as me.”

Masivdal fought for the UFC welterweight title twice, falling short both times to Kamaru Usman. His first fight with Usman at UFC 251 is reportedly one of the highest selling pay-per-views in company history.

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UFC free fight: Gilbert Burns spoils Jorge Masvidal’s Miami homecoming

Gilbert Burns was on top of his game when he beat Jorge Masvidal in his hometown at UFC 287.

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] had to play spoiler at UFC 287.

Back in April 2023, Burns took on [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in the UFC’s long-awaited return to Miami. Masvidal, arguably the biggest Miami representative in MMA, was obviously the crowd favorite, but that didn’t deter Burns from getting the win. After 15 minutes of fighting, Burns won a unanimous decision.

You can watch Burns’ win over Masvidal in the video above.

Burns (22-7 MMA, 15-7 UFC) returns this Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 242, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He meets fellow welterweight contender Sean Brady (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.

Darren Till not impressed with ‘fluffy hands’ of Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal

Darren Till didn’t like what he saw out of Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal in the ring.

[autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] didn’t like what he saw from [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] and [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in the ring.

Diaz defeated Masvidal by majority decision in their boxing match Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The back-and-forth fight exceeded many expectations but not Till’s.

Till is interested in boxing Diaz next but also wants Jake Paul, Mike Perry, and even Masvidal if offered.

“I wasn’t impressed, mate,” Till said on “The MMA Hour.” “Just like, fluffy hands. Just not a lot of power, both looked like they wasn’t in no fit physical shape. But as I say, Masvidal I fought, and he beat me fair and square.

“I don’t ever like to diss Diaz too much. I’ve always been a fan since a kid. I think he’s a f*cking G of the sport. He’s one of your real ones. Whether you want it in the ring or outside, he’s that guy, and that’s what I respect.”

Originally scheduled to box Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in July, Till wound up lacing up the gloves himself on Saturday when he faced Mohammad Mutie at Social Knockout 3 from Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

Their bout came to an end when Till hit Mutie with a rabbit punch to the back of the head. Mutie fell to the canvas, prompting the referee and doctor to deem him unable to continue. Till was announced the winner by TKO, but a brawl broke out after the fight.

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Video: Was Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing match a success, and did judges get it right?

The boxing match between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal was, if nothing else, pretty entertaining. We discuss the fight and more on “Spinning Back Clique.”

[autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in the highly anticipated boxing match between the two former UFC stars but not without a little controversy.

After going a hard 10 rounds, Diaz claimed a majority decision win over Masvidal this past Saturday in front of more than 18,000 fans at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The fight certainly didn’t lack action as Diaz put constant pressure with punches in bunches while Masvidal landed the most significant shots.

In the end, the judges scored it 95-95, 97-93 and 98-92 in favor of Diaz much to the chagrin of Masvidal. Did the judges get it right? Now that it’s over, do we consider this event a success?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Matthew Wells and host “Gorgeous” George answer those question.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

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Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal recap, featherweight title picture, UFC Denver

On “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal, the UFC featherweight title picture and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells and Nolan King  joined host “Gorgeous” George Garcia to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • Two of the biggest stars in MMA threw down in the ring Saturday when [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in a competitive boxing match that ended in majority decision. Did Diaz really do enough to beat Masvidal? What should be next for each ? We discuss the boxing match, which was the biggest fight of the weekend, along with other results from the card.
  • The UFC’s featherweight division seems to be in a stalemate. [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], who became champion in February, has yet to get booked for his first title defense. This past week, both Topuria and former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] got into a social media back-and-forth and blamed each other for the delay in their expected title fight. What’s going on? Is the UFC mishandling the title picture at 145 pounds? We make sense of the latest at featherweight.
  • Several fun and important matchups were recently booked, but which one stands out the most and why? The panel highlights some of the bookings from this past week.
  • Saturday, the UFC returns to Denver. In the main event, former women’s strawweight champion [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] takes on rising flyweight contender [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag]. What does this bout mean for the women’s 125-pound division? Could it determine the next title challenger? We break down the main event of UFC on ESPN 59.

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Jorge Masvidal feels burned by judges after boxing loss to Nate Diaz: ‘There’s just no way’

“I don’t think he landed any meaningful punches,” Jorge Masvidal said of his boxing match with Nate Diaz.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – While Nate Diaz and his crew blared a Bay Area rap classic, Dru Down’s “Pimp of the Year,” next door in celebration of a victory, a somber [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] stepped to the podium in the bowels of Honda Center.

Bottom line: He thought he won.

Unfortunately for Masvidal, two of three judges disagreed and awarded Diaz the victory by majority decision (95-95, 97-93, 98-92) in a thrilling boxing match Saturday night before an announced crowd of 18,040 fans – almost all of them on Team Diaz.

“I definitely know the judges were influenced by the crowd,” Masvidal told reporters, including MMA Junkie, in the post-fight news conference. “A lot of those shots were landing in the corner. I was just getting my timing down – throw three, four shots that wouldn’t land, and then I’d throw a good power shot. I’d see that I hurt him or back him up, or he’d start goofing around. I hurt him to the body numerous times. I think one of the judges only gave me two rounds, and there’s just no way.”

The story of the fight over 10 rounds was volume vs. power. Whereas Diaz threw punches in bunches, Masvidal landed the biggest shots. Still, he ultimately fell short.

“From what I saw, I definitely hurt him way more than he ever hurt me,” Masvidal said. “I got way cleaner shots, especially to the body. He never even did anything to my body. I definitely hurt his body. A couple times I hurt him, he backed up. He put a lot of pressure and was coming forward, but he never hurt me. I don’t think he landed any meaningful punches. Eight (rounds) to two is f*cking nuts.”

Jorge Masvidal punches Nate Diaz in their boxing match at Honda Center. (Esther Lin/Fanmio)

For Diaz, the result was a measure of revenge after losing the inaugural BMF title fight to Masvidal in November 2019 at UFC 244. That fight, though, ended with the doctor stopping it in the third round because of a cut under Diaz’s eye. With their boxing match ending by majority decision rather than reaching a more decisive end, there could be reason for a trilogy.

If Masvidal had his way, he and Diaz would run it back in boxing.

“Definitely boxing. I guess call me a sore loser, but I’d want to do boxing,” Masvidal said. “And if he wanted to do MMA after that, we could do it. But definitely I want to do boxing over everything. Do it again.”

Masvidal, who came out of retirement after 15 months to rematch Diaz, said he is still under contract with the UFC for two fights and also has two fights left on a deal with Fanmio, which promoted the Diaz rematch. And he’s eager to fight again – whether it’s against Diaz or not.

“I love to compete, and now I’ve just got to look for the next one,” Masvidal said. “I’m a dog, I’m a field dog, I don’t like being in no cage or no kennel, so I’m just gonna get right back to work, get my ass in shape, and let’s go.”

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For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Diaz vs. Masvidal 2.

Nate Diaz has a few ideas for next bout – but a Jorge Masvidal trilogy isn’t one of them

Well, there’s one fight Nate Diaz doesn’t really want next.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] is always planning ahead.

Following his majority decision boxing match victory over [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] on Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., Diaz had multiple names on his brain – all of which are fighters he’s fought in the past.

During his in-ring interview with Brian Campbell, Diaz mentioned [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] as an idea for a next opponent, but later clarified why his former foe’s name was mentioned first.

“(Paul) was just off the top of my head that I would like to whip his ass,” Diaz told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I’d like to get a win against [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag], who is the best fighter in the world right now at 170.”

Diaz’s next move remains unclear. Will it be boxing or MMA? No one knows. But one thing is for certain: Diaz wants the fights that will earn him the most respect – and the most money.

“That’s the only thing I’ve got in my head, is whoever thinks they’re f*cking tight can get their ass whooped,” Diaz said.

One fight that Diaz is not interested in, however, is the one he just had.

Despite their head-to-head lifetime combat sports record tied at one win apiece, Diaz rejects the notion the time is now for a third clash with Masvidal.

“That’s a whole other situation for later,” Diaz said. “I think we’re 1-0 on each other. He got a win in MMA and I got a win in boxing. Who knows what’s going to happen with him… but at some point, something.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Diaz vs. Masvidal 2.

Nate Diaz def. Jorge Masvidal at Last Man Standing: Best photos

Check out these photos from Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal’s main event boxing match in Anaheim, Calif.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag]’s boxing victory over [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in the main event of the Last Man Standing boxing event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. (Photos by Ester Lin, Fanmio)