‘I Can’t Retire Without the Belt’-Jorge Masvidal Opens Up On Retirement Option After UFC 261 Loss

Jorge Masvidal entered the bout against Kamaru Usman at UFC261, hoping to lift the championship for the first time. Having already beaten by the champion a year back, this time he may have hoped to put up a better show to capture the gold.

But all those hopes came to a shattering end when Usman put him to sleep with a devastating KO in round two. This was the first time in Masvidal’s career in UFC that he got knocked out. This brought his title-clinching hopes to a painful end.

Recently he gave an interview to ESPN MMA, where he opened up about his loss. He said his dad and coach motivated him to push again, even though he was contemplating retirement. He said, “It’s coming from my dad (challenge for the belt again) and I’m emotional… and from my coach all the changes we need to do to go for another run (title challenge).” 

‘Gamebred’ iterated his love for the game and said, “I love this sport, I can’t retire without the belt…I just want to give as much as I can.”

Masvidal is a veteran and has been performing for nearly two decades now, but he still believes he has something. He added, “Again I’m 36 years old, I still feel good, I still can push myself in the gym and cannot (allow t0) be overwhelmed by even younger guys, so why not give it another run?”

Welterweight title opportunities for Jorge Masvidal

Masvidal has had a long career but has been involved in UFC welterweight title fights only twice. Both those fights came against the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ and that too, back to back.

Last year he faced Usman inside a week’s notice as he replaced the latter’s training partner Gilbert Burns at UFC 251. The bout ended in a unanimous victory after 5 rounds for Usman. His performance got deemed underwhelming and ‘boring’ by some fans and fighters alike. Masvidal had an excuse of not preparing well due to lack of time.

This time, though, Usman was a man on a mission, and he absolutely demolished title hopes for Masvidal with a right punch for the ages. He continued his march towards greatness with an unbeaten UFC record.

As for Masvidal, the chance to become welterweight has become slim. But this sport never ceases to amaze, and who knows what’s in store for Masvidal’s title hopes. Can Masvidal capture the belt once before he retires?

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