UFC 300: Training Partner Pours Cold Water on Odds of Return for Jorge Masvidal
The news that Jorge Masvidal has ended his retirement immediately sparked all kinds of speculation around a UFC return, but one of his training partners is confident that “Gamebred” has other plans in mind.
Although he initially closed out his career on a streak of four-straight losses, Masvidal’s late-career run to UFC stardom was one of the promotion’s more impressive storylines over the last several years.
"Gamebred" headlined major UFC PPV events in four out of his last five fights and challenged for the promotion's welterweight title twice during that stretch, but a loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 encouraged the longtime veteran to finally hang up his gloves.
Masvidal’s announcement that he’s “unretired” after less than a year quickly generated predictions that he might return at UFC 300 for a possible BMF or welterweight title fight, but top-ranked UFC lightweight Renato Moicano believes that his ATT teammate is preparing to test himself in the boxing ring.
Masvidal holds the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports)
“I see a lot of people saying that Jorge Masvidal is fighting [on] UFC 300," Moicano said on his YouTube channel. "But, I’m not sure about that. I’m not even sure if he will fight MMA…Yesterday, I saw Masvidal at American Top Team. But, he was not training wrestling… I saw him training boxing every day. Every day hitting the bags, hitting the pads, working on drills. So I’m not sure if he’s fighting boxing or not, but if I could guess, and if I could bet my house, I’d say he’s fighting boxing.”
Masvidal has yet to step into the boxing ring himself, but the 39-year-old has already organized four events under his Gamebred Boxing banner and has also found success as a promoter with Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA.
A boxing debut in his own organization is certainly a possibility and could be a savvy business move for the former UFC title challenger, although there's also a chance that "Gamebred" may be angling for an opportunity to become the first former MMA fighter to defeat Jake Paul in the boxing ring.
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