Jorge
Masvidal hinted ahead of UFC 287
that it could be his swan song if things didn’t go his way against
Gilbert
Burns in his hometown.
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Following a unanimous decision loss to Burns in Saturday’s co-main
event at the Kaseya Center in Miami, “Gamebred” officially called
it a career after 52 documented professional MMA bouts.
“I love everybody here,” Masvidal said. “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.”
Long a favorite among hardcore fans, Masvidal gained mainstream
appeal with a breakout 2019 campaign that saw him defeat Darren Till,
Ben
Askren and Nate Diaz
inside the distance. The victory over Askren, in particular, was a
star-making effort, as Masvidal set a UFC record for fastest finish
with a five-second, flying knee KO of the former Bellator
champion.
“That flying knee changed his life,” UFC president Dana White said
at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “When he threw that
flying, knee it changed his whole life.”
That led to a headlining appearance opposite Diaz at Madison Square
Garden with the “BMF” title at stake at UFC 244 — sealing
Masvidal’s arrival as one of the sport’s biggest stars. He never
reached that pinnacle again, ending his career on a four-bout skid
that included a pair of losses in welterweight title fights against
Kamaru
Usman. Although he never captured UFC gold, Masvidal did well
for himself.
“I love this f—ing sport,” Masvidal said. “I’m a
multi-millionaire. I didn’t start with nothing. I can say I’m good
for life now.”
White agreed with Masvidal’s decision to hang up the four-ounce
gloves at 38 years old.
“As soon as you think about retiring, you should in this business,”
White said. “He’s made a lot of money. He made a lot of money
tonight. He’s got a lot of things going on outside the octagon too,
like Conor [McGregor] does and some of these other guys. I think
he’s proved everything he needed to prove to himself and changed
his family’s life, and why not?”