Jorge Masvidal is serious about fighting in the UFC again.
This past September, the UFC’s inaugural “BMF” champion told MMA Fighting that he is in talks to compete for the promotion once more, with plans to compete in 2024 or 2025. With the calendar year closing and Masvidal yet to be booked, he has set his sights on an April return in his hometown of Miami.
“I’ll be back April next year in the UFC,” Masvidal said on the Fight Back podcast. “We don’t have the opponent yet. Hopefully by December we’ve got the opponent. April, Miami card.”
UFC is yet to officially announce dates and locations for April events, with its official 2025 slate currently set up to March.
Should Masvidal make the walk to the octagon again, it would be his first UFC appearance since UFC 287 in April 2023. Though Masvidal was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against top welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, the booking allowed him to retire in front of an appreciative Miami crowd.
That retirement now appears to be temporary, much to the chagrin of UFC CEO Dana White, who said in October that Masvidal would “probably not” fight for his promotion again.
Masvidal has stayed busy in his break from MMA. This past July, he met fellow former UFC star Nate Diaz in a boxing match at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Diaz defeated Masvidal by majority decision to avenge a loss to Masvidal at UFC 244, where Masvidal won via cut stoppage to become the first BMF titleholder.
A veteran of 52 pro MMA bouts, Masvidal turned 40 this past November. In addition to his win over Diaz, Masvidal also scored notable wins against Ben Askren and Darren Till en route to fighting for the UFC welterweight title. He fell short in two bids against then-champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 and UFC 261, and is currently sitting on four straight losses.
