Jorge Masvidal may have been the BMF champion in the UFC, but his new look is losing the battle on social media. The MMA legend traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, in April this year for a special procedure. If all the posts didn’t make it on your timeline, ‘Street Jesus’ underwent a hairline restoration procedure at Now Hair Time clinic.

This news was revived on Reddit when r/UFC shared a before-and-after pic of ‘Gamebred’ on the platform. 

“Yeah, that looks terrible,” they captioned the post. 

Whether it looks good or not is ultimately a matter of opinion, but Masvidal first revealed his hair transplant journey on social media before the news was picked up by various outlets. Sharing his excitement about the procedure, the 41-year-old opened up about the decision and what it meant to him in a statement.

“I’ve been seeing Now Hair Time throughout the years, and I’ve seen amazing, great results,” Masvidal said. “Time hasn’t been on my side. My hairline has receded. Before it got any worse, I came to Now Hair Time to make sure I would stop all of that and get myself up to optimal aesthetics.

“I’ve had numerous people that I could rely on to ask questions from before the procedure, during the procedure, and after the procedure to make sure my hair is top-notch; nothing gets messed up. Besides the great facility and the way that the staff has treated me, they have shown me a great time.”

“Thank you, Now Hair Time, for bringing my hairline back.”

However, the new hairline came with its own set of challenges. The procedure has sidelined him for several weeks, preventing him from returning to regular training. Still, it’s easy to understand why the former UFC star opted for the transplant in the first place.

Hair loss is a common concern among men worldwide. Studies suggest that by the age of 35, nearly two-thirds of men experience some degree of hair loss, while around 85% will have significantly thinning hair or a receding hairline by the age of 50. And Masvidal is far from alone. 

According to the clinic that performed the procedure, several high-profile athletes and celebrities have also sought treatment there, including Francis Ngannou, Tracy ‘T-Mac’ McGrady, and Chris Bumstead. Clearly, hair transplantation has become a mainstream solution for many men. 

And when MMA legend Chael Sonnen learned about Masvidal’s hair transplant, he praised the procedure, stating, “They did a good job.” Although the comment was seen by many as sarcastic. For Masvidal, however, his receding hairline may have meant more than just a change in appearance. 

During his early days in Miami’s underground street-fighting scene, Jorge Masvidal earned the nickname ‘Ponytail’ because of his signature hairstyle. Now, after briefly stepping away from combat sports, he has come out of retirement.

Masvidal returned to action in a boxing match against Nate Diaz in July 2024, while his last UFC appearance came against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 in April 2023. Regardless, when fans stumbled upon the post about Masvidal on Reddit, sympathy was in short supply, as many were quick to roast the MMA veteran’s new look.

Jorge Masvidal can’t catch a break

Fans didn’t like the new look one bit. One fan commented, “Younger hairline, older everything else. Just looks terrible.” The problem is that it’s a sudden change, and people haven’t gotten used to it yet. 

Another user compared the new look to fighters from Dagestan. “He got the Dagestani hairline – Jorge Masvidalimedov,” the user joked. Perhaps Masvidal will go to Dagestan for two years and forget. 

Someone else suggested Masvidal should have taken a pharmaceutical route. “It was probably continuing to recede, and he had the procedure before it got worse. Honestly tho he’d probably have done better just getting on minoxidil + finasteride,” the user wrote. Both drugs are used to treat hair loss and male pattern baldness. 

The next user claimed his hair looked better before. “His hair still looked pretty slick before, tho,” the user wrote. Not to Masvidal clearly.

Meanwhile, the next user thought the new hairline wasn’t the problem. “I don’t think it’s the new hairline making him look bad, but the clear alcohol bloat in his face is 🤷🏼‍♂️,” the user commented. Masvidal might not be fully retired at the moment, but his best days are clearly behind him. 

That being said, it appears Jorge Masvidal had to resort to a procedure to fix his hairline like so many others. But from fan reception, it might not have been the best decision.