Jorge Masvidal is still hoping to return to the UFC octagon three years after his last MMA fight.
Masvidal asked the UFC for permission to go box outside the promotion back in 2023, and the UFC actually agreed to let him, providing a list of opponents he was cleared to fight. “Gamebred” would end up boxing Nate Diaz in a 2024 boxing match, only for the promoter to shortchange both fighters on their contracted purses.
Since then, Masvidal has come back into the UFC fold. He’s a co-host on the official
CBS Sports UFC podcast Deep Waters, and according to the 41-year-old, he’s still working on a comeback fight.
“I love it, I always wanna get back in there, I train often,” Masvidal told Home of Fight. “It’s the most satisfying thing I could do … There’s other things in my personal life I love to do, but fighting is the funnest roller coaster I’ve ever been a part of. It’s the highest bungee jump I’ve ever done, the best skydive. It’s the biggest wave I’ve ridden. I just love it. It’s something that I can’t describe the feeling of everything.”
“So I’m not against coming back,” he continued. “And I’ve been talking to the UFC, and things are looking good. So there might be some news sooner than later. It’s definitely not about money. And I could always add to my legacy finding some names that that are still out there that are relevant, you know? But not necessarily for the money.”
“Thank the lord that I had a good enough career that I don’t have to fight, but I do wanna fight,” Masvidal concluded. “I wanna have the right opportunity. I wanna be in great shape and make sure it’s the right event, and I’ll take part in it.”
The man most recently in Masvidal’s crosshairs is Leon Edwards, whom was involved in a brawl with the Miami native way back in 2019. A fight against Conor McGregor also feels age appropriate.
Any other promotion wouldn’t have an issue booking Masvidal into a big fight, but the UFC seems reluctant to do anything but feed their former stars into the wood chipper against up-and-comers. If that’s what they’re offering Masvidal, we don’t blame him for sitting back and waiting for a decent opportunity to arise. He could be waiting a long time, though.
