Jorge Masvidal on Colby Covington, Francis Ngannou, & Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA
Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.
Jorge Masvidal On Francis Ngannou’s Boxing Debut: “Francis Won That Fight”
Jorge Masvidal is in the midst of an eventful week.
In addition to promoting his Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA fight card that takes place on Friday, he also put an end to his ongoing legal battle with Colby Covington that dated back to March of 2022. In exchange for pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge, two felony charges were dropped.
Courtesy Zuffa LLC
Masvidal has long been open about his dislike for Covington, a former American Top Team teammate. He believes Covington will be humbled next month at UFC 296 when he fights welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
“I still don’t think Colby will fight,” said Masvidal. “He’ll find some excuse and he ain’t making it to the fight. If he does, Leon will knock out that b----. I’ll take Leon over b----ass Colby all day.”
As CEO of Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, Masvidal is eager to unveil his newest fight card on Friday. Headlined by Alan Belcher against Roy “Big Country” Nelson at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi, the card will stream live on the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA YouTube Channel.
“These two guys embody fighting,” said Masvidal. “This is going to be one of those fights that’s talked about for a long time.”
Masvidal has helped Gamebred MMA grow exponentially since its birth in 2021. Since his retirement from the UFC this past spring, he has been able to pour even more of his time and resources into making it a successful promotion.
“I want over a million views for this card,” said Masvidal. “I want bigger sponsors. This is my passion.
“I want the best fighters possible. I want the best referees. I want the best lighting. I want to treat the fighters better than they’re treated anywhere else. That makes the product better. We’re putting something together that is different and special. If we do it right, we’re going to ride this f------ for a long time.”
Courtesy Zuffa LLC
Masvidal, who turns 39 next week, last fought in April, losing to Gilbert Burns. With an insatiable competitive spirit, he is constantly toying with the idea of a comeback, or a foray into a different combat sport.
“The dog never left me,” said Masvidal, who is now four years removed from defeating Nate Diaz at UFC’s annual November card at Madison Square Garden. “I still love to fight. Sparring at the gym, that’s like pickup basketball to me. I love to fight and find out who’s f------ better. I always want to scrap.”
Boxing could be a possibility for Masvidal. He was thoroughly impressed with Francis Ngannou, who went 10 rounds with Tyson Fury two weeks ago in a split decision loss.
“I didn’t think Francis could last with Tyson, and I was wrong,” said Masvidal. “I have to take my hat off. And he dropped him, he dropped the champion. Damn, Francis can box. Tyson couldn’t figure out Francis.
“Now the judges ain’t the best in boxing. Francis won that fight. I’m interested in seeing the rematch–and we’ll see how much better Francis is going to look in six months, too.”
It is inevitable that Masvidal will compete again. But his current focus is Gamebred MMA, and tomorrow’s bareknuckle card should be an entertaining night.
“This is the most violent show on earth,” said Masvidal. “It still has the tactical side of MMA, but with more finishes. If that’s what interests you, check us the f--- out.”
Why Wasn’t Stipe Miocic Offered Title Bout At UFC 295?
Stipe Miocic is healthy, and he had prepared to compete at UFC 295.
So why isn’t he fighting for the interim title on Saturday at Madison Square Garden?
Miocic said on his new OnlyFans page that he was never offered another bout on UFC 295 after Jon Jones was forced to withdraw from the card due to a pectoral muscle injury. Instead, Sergei Pavlovich will fight Tom Aspinall to crown a new interim heavyweight champion.
The decision makes sense. There is no fighter of substance for Jones of this magnitude in the UFC other than Miocic. The interim title means nothing to Miocic, who is already a two-time undisputed heavyweight champ. An option could have been to strip Jones of the title (titles have been vacated for less), but the likelihood is high that either Pavlovich or Aspinall would have knocked out Miocic.
So the UFC protected their biggest heavyweight bout. UFC 295 should still end on a high note with Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira now headlining in their light heavyweight title bout, but it would have been even better had Miocic stayed on the card.
