Daniel Cormier isn’t certain Jorge Masvidal ought to come again.
The 39-year-old former ‘BMF’ champion retired from MMA in April of 2023 after shedding to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287, however returned to fight sports activities this previous July when he confronted Nate Diaz in a boxing match that Diaz in the end gained. However that loss appeared to inspire Masvidal, who introduced earlier this week he’s in talks with the UFC to return to the promotion within the close to future.
Nevertheless, UFC Corridor of Famer and commentator Cormier questions if Masvidal ought to return.
“Jorge Masvidal needs to be counseled for doing what he did to succeed in the degrees of stardom that he did, as a result of whenever you take a look at his profession as an entire, you actually do see a man that spent the overwhelming majority of his prime, the overwhelming majority of his youth, as a middling fighter,” Cormier mentioned on his YouTube channel. “He simply was. It’s what it’s. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s what it was…
“Take a look at the names on his résumé. On the finish of the day, whenever you take a look at the profession as an entire, it boils down to 1 yr the place Jorge Masvidal made you guys care, and it made him a star. However my query to you now’s: Do you continue to care? As a result of that’s what he’s banking on…
“He has misplaced his final 4 MMA fights, [and] he misplaced a boxing match. He mentioned he’ll come again, starch any person and the UFC can be begging him to struggle for a championship. My query to you is, do you care now? Do you care such as you did in 2019? Do you care such as you did when he was on that incredible run when he made himself from a man that was middling, from a man that was a little bit of a journeyman, right into a fundamental occasion attraction? He and Kamaru Usman bought a boatload of pay-per-views. However do you care in the present day, in 2024, to see Jorge Masvidal come again and struggle somebody?”
As Cormier famous, Masvidal got here to superstardom late into his profession. A veteran of over 50 skilled fights, Masvidal broke out in 2019 with wins over Darren Until and Ben Askren, the latter being the quickest knockout in UFC historical past, earlier than then profitable the inaugural ‘BMF’ title over Diaz at UFC 244. That ended up being the ultimate victory of his MMA profession, no less than so far, as “Gamebred” then dropped 4 straight bouts earlier than retiring.
Provided that run of kind and his age, plus the character of his stardom, Cormier merely isn’t certain Masvidal attracts an enormous quantity of curiosity from followers proper now.
“In 2019 he did one thing I’ve by no means seen somebody do in combating earlier than,” Cormier mentioned. “…This can be a man that began the start of his UFC profession not excellent, and no one cared. However he in the end made himself right into a fundamental occasion man. Will we care to see him in the present day? Or can we care to see him in the present day towards somebody that’s an enormous identify? Is that the one approach you’d care? As a result of to me, if Jorge Masvidal comes again, it must be towards somebody that’s a enjoyable struggle. As a result of proper now, he’s not combating as competitively as he was…
“I can let you know proper now, if Nate Diaz had been to say, ‘I’m coming again,’ folks would get excited. Are Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal held in the identical regard?”
Whether or not followers will care stays to be seen however Masvidal actually appears to assume they may. He threw out the potential for combating Michael Chandler, ought to his theoretical struggle with Conor McGregor not come to cross, however principally he’s joyful to struggle anybody as long as the paycheck is appropriate. And for all Cormier’s uncertainty round whether or not Masvidal attracts curiosity anymore, the previous two-division champion admits ought to it occur, he will definitely be tuning in, he simply kind of hopes it gained’t occur.
“I’d watch him struggle, completely… However my query is, do you care? … He’s 39 years previous now,” Cormier mentioned. “His finest days appear to be behind him, misplaced 4 in a row. Can he recreate what he did earlier than?…
“I imagine with the work he was doing outdoors of the octagon, his promotion appears to be doing properly, and I used to be joyful to see him stroll away.”
