Jorge Masvidal is planning a return to the UFC in April 2024 in Miami, despite having retired after his last fight in April 2023 and facing skepticism from UFC CEO Dana White about his comeback.
Jorge Masvidal is dead set on stepping back into the UFC octagon. Recently, the inaugural "BMF" champ hinted at a return to MMA, eyeing either 2024 or 2025. As the year wraps up, he’s now targeting an April comeback in his hometown of Miami.
“I’ll be back April next year in the UFC,” Masvidal declared on the Fight Back podcast. No opponent lined up yet, but December might bring some news. Fingers crossed for that Miami card!
The UFC hasn’t spilled the beans on April’s events just yet. Their calendar only stretches to March 2025 for now. If Masvidal does make it back, it’ll mark his first fight since UFC 287 in April 2023. That night, he faced Gilbert Burns and lost via unanimous decision but retired in front of a cheering Miami crowd.
Seems like that retirement was more of a pause than a full stop. Dana White, the UFC CEO, seemed skeptical in October about Masvidal fighting again under their banner. Yet here we are.
In his time away from MMA, Masvidal didn’t exactly sit still. In July, he squared off against Nate Diaz in a boxing match in Anaheim, Calif., losing by majority decision. This was Diaz’s chance to settle the score after their clash at UFC 244 when Masvidal won due to a cut stoppage.
With 52 pro MMA fights under his belt, Masvidal hit the big 4-0 last November. He’s got notable victories over Ben Askren and Darren Till but fell short twice against Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title. Currently riding a four-fight losing streak—quite the rollercoaster career!