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Jorge Masvidal hasn’t had time to take pleasure in retirement. He’s already made the transition for all times after the Octagon.
Following his loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287, Masvidal made his announcement within the Octagon. It was the precise time—it was his fourth straight defeat after beating Nate Diaz to win the “BMF belt” at UFC 244—and doing it in entrance of his hometown crowd of Miami, it was the precise location as effectively.
Although he gained’t be headlining any extra occasions, Masvidal’s will now be creating the battle playing cards in his new full-time function, battle promoter. The newest installment of Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA—which he proclaims as “the Most Violent Show on Earth”—falls on Cinco de Mayo. According to Masvidal, Gamebred MMA is the primary and solely skilled bareknuckle MMA league within the U.S. The fights, on the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, FL, may even be the first-ever sanctioned bareknuckle MMA battle in that state.
It’s the fourth Gamebred battle card, with the others beforehand held in Biloxi, MS. According to the promotion, Gamebred MMA will comply with the Unified Rules of MMA, however, in fact, with out gloves, with all bouts being three five-minute rounds.
Headlining the cardboard can be former UFC vet and Bellator heavyweight Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs Dillon “Bad Boy” Cleckler. Also on the cardboard can be a pair of ex-UFC stars: PFL mild heavyweight champion Emiliano Sordi vs. Markus Perez. The complete Gamebred card will stream stay on Masvidal’s YouTube and Facebook pages, beginning at 8pm ET. (It may even be streaming on the Gamebred Promotions YouTube and Facebook pages as effectively). The complete card contains:
- Roy Nelson vs. Dillon Cleckler
- Emiliano Sordi vs. Markus Perez
- Donovan Beard vs. Handesson Ferreira
- Joe Penefeil vs Irwin Rivera
- Jamahl Tatum vs. Carl Seumanutafa
- Sean Soriano vs. Ago Huskic
- Anthony Njokuani vs. James Freeman
- Darion Abbey vs. Frank Tate
- Charles Bennett vs. Keith Speed
- Fidel Paulino vs. Alexander Schenk
- Juan Alvarez vs. Chris Wingate
- Ryan Kuse vs. Drew Morais
This would be the fourth Gamebred Bareknuckle occasion, , with the primary on in May of 2021 in Biloxi, MX. with doorways opening at 5pm EST the day of. Fans may even have the ability to tune in with the primary battle beginning at 6pm EST and the principle card starting at 8pm EST.
With the cardboard a number of days away, the newly retired MMF champion explains to M&F what it’s going to take to make Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA a corporation that can proceed to draw high expertise going ahead.
Was there any hesitancy to announce your retirement following UFC TK?
You know, I informed my coach, “Cut the gloves,” and he was like, “No, don’t do it. Just wait.” I used to be like, that is the place it began, that is the place it ought to finish, in my metropolis [Miami]. Let’s do it like that. Gilbert was a fantastic fighter, however I really feel in. my prime I might’ve overwhelmed him. But I simply don’t have the identical motor pace from thoughts to physique. So on a professional stage, if I can’t battle with the world’s greatest, what am I doing. There’s quite a lot of guys who I might beat up for days, however I signed as much as battle the most effective on this planet, and I can’t play at that high pace no extra.
So what’s gonna make Jorge Masvidal the most effective promoter within the recreation?
There’s quite a lot of nice promoters however I’ll be completely different one than all of them, as a result of I’m one of many few who really fought from all levels—I’ve worn each hat there’s to put on in preventing, from nook man to sparring companion, coaching companion. I’ve given guys skilled enterprise, you realize, so I’ve been like an unofficial supervisor for lots of buddies within the sport.
Promoting is among the issues that I like essentially the most—my very first thing that I preferred essentially the most is clearly competing, preventing. The second factor I preferred essentially the most is the promotion. I’m going to take off with my very own completely different route and saucing.
None of those promoters have and you’ll see that occur as a result of I’ve a unique mindset. I’ve completely different visions in my eyes that I see from my 20 years of offering issues I need to repair up on the professional fighter aspect issues which means nothing that might have preferred perhaps a bit of bit extra consideration to.
So why naked knuckle?
I get that query so much. I began in naked knuckle — lots of people first obtained their buzz about me in naked knuckle. So I at all times felt like I wished to begin a naked knuckle League and see how it might go there isn’t a naked knuckle MMA. And whenever you’re speaking about what’s the closest factor to love, real-life fight, that is just about it. And it’s not only for strikers, but in addition for grappling as a result of now you don’t have these massive, cumbersome gloves on high of the pad that form of messes together with your. So even for grapplers it’s extra reasonable to precise fight, and I simply adore it. At the top of the day, the finishes undergo the roof whenever you take the gloves off, whether or not it’s a knockout or submission.
Is everybody prepared for naked knuckle preventing? Is it as brutal because the identify implies?
It would possibly even be worse than it sounds. If you’re not into that, then I get it, you realize, you possibly can go there’s 100 different sports activities that you simply may be into, you realize, however that is like that, that grit and need—and violence. So it’s not it’s not going to be all people’s cup of tea at first, purchase it’ll slowly catch on in,
Is the world sufficiently big for one more battle league?
Definitely, particularly one like mine. You take a look at the No. 1 promoter on this planet, Dana White. The No. 2 man in selling doesn’t have the social media following like Dana White. So I’ll simply tsunami over all of them relating to attracting battle followers. Some of them may be simply extra followers of me for political beliefs or issues that I’ve performed, however for essentially the most half about 85% of my viewers are battle followers. So whenever you’re speaking about selling, it’s like, there’s no one messing with me in that area. Besides Dana White, in fact, who’s king of kings of promotion.
How do you promote your league to fighters?
We talked to their group and get some numbers on paper, and as soon as we come to agreements, the subsequent factor is to place it on paper to make it occur.
You know, quite a lot of these fighters additionally know that I’ve my good cred—I’ve been preventing for 20 years of actual preventing they usually know the platform that I deliver. They know we’ll be bringing as many eyeballs as doable to the game.
Was a Cinco De Mayo battle card by design?
Oh yeah. Our battle can be form of a kickoff of Formula One, which is right here in South Florida [this weekend]. It’s like welcoming F1 to South Florida with a bang. We have Big Country, Roy Nelson—19 finishes, 16 coming by the best way of knockout to the face—versus Dillon Cleckler. We have another massive boys as effectively on the present. We’re pumped.