UFC President Dana White reacts to Jorge Masvidal’s retirement from MMA

UFC President Dana White has weighed in on Jorge Masvidal’s retirement.

Masvidal shared the Octagon with Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 287. The fight went the distance and “Gamebred” fell short via unanimous decision. After the fight, Masvidal took his gloves off and announced his retirement.

Speaking to media members during the UFC 287 post-fight press conference, Dana White reflected on the massive turnaround in Jorge Masvidal’s fight career after he knocked out Ben Askren with a flying knee in five seconds back in 2019 (quotes via MMAFighting).

“That flying knee changed his life,” White said. “When he threw that flying knee, it changed his whole life.”

As far as Masvidal’s decision to retire is concerned, White certainly won’t argue with “Gamebred’s” decision.

“Listen, as soon as you think about retiring, you should in this business,” White said. “He’s made a lot of money. He made a lot of money tonight. He’s got things outside the octagon going on, too, like Conor [McGregor] does and some of these other guys and I think he’s proved everything he needed to prove to himself. He changed his family’s life and why not?”

Masvidal ends his career with a pro MMA record of 35-17. “Gamebred” retires on a four-fight skid and hadn’t won a fight since November 2019, when he stopped Nate Diaz. It was the win over Diaz that earned Masvidal the one-time only BMF Championship. Masvidal went on to receive two UFC Welterweight Championship opportunities against Kamaru Usman. “Gamebred” lost both fights, and went on to fall short against Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns.

Masvidal has certainly left his mark in the world of MMA. Throughout his career, Jorge Masvidal has beaten the likes of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Joe Lauzon, K.J. Noons, Yves Edwards, Michael Chiesa, Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz to name a few.