Ultimate Fighting Championship star Jorge
Masvidal has plans for starting his own combat league in the
near future.
On Thursday, shortly before the
UFC 261 press conference, Masvidal put out an announcement
video of his new league. Masvidal will be teaming up with
rapper Anuel AA to launch a bare-knuckle MMA league titled Gamebred
Fighting Championship. “Gamebred” will be competing against
Kamaru
Usman in a rematch of their 2020 battle on Saturday, and he
already has his sights set on the future, win or lose.
The organization will reportedly use rules under the Unified Rules
of MMA, only that there will be no gloves used by the fighters. The
first event is scheduled to take place in Miami on June 25, and no
competitors or a venue have been announced at this time. Masvidal’s
partner Anuel AA owns a clothing brand called Real Hasta La Muerte,
or “Real Until Death,” and every competitor will be wearing outfits
from this company.
According to Masvidal at the aforementioned press conference, the
plan is to find the next great street fighter in the vein of
“Kimbo
Slice” and himself – as both gained recognition by competing in
unregulated backyard bare knuckle fights before switching over to
MMA. Bare-knuckle boxing has taken off in popularity in the U.S.,
with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship promotion finding great
success and luring over former MMA and boxing stars to compete in
its “squared circle.” Bare-knuckle MMA, however, is a relatively
untapped market, with sporadic offerings from organizations like
Sparta
Combat League running stateside.