Jorge Masvidal may be getting ready to lace up the boxing gloves for his upcoming fight with Nate Diaz on June 1, but he has made it clear that his career as a mixed martial artist is far from done.
The former BMF champion and welterweight title contender says he will "definitely" be returning to the promotion that made him a superstar.
"I'm definitely coming back to the UFC and get a W for my city, for my family, my kids and everybody that believes in me," Masvidal told MMA Junkie during a recent stop in Miami following "The Baddest Tour" for his fight against Diaz. "I have to go back to the UFC."
Masvidal hasn't competed in the Octagon since dropping his fourth consecutive fight against Gilbert Burns in April 2023. Following the decision loss, Masvidal left one of his gloves in the mat while throwing the other into the crowd, signaling his retirement from competition.
"I don't feel the same when I get in here no more. It's been 20 long years. I love all of you," Masvidal said in announcing his retirement. "UFC came here 20 years ago, and it inspired me to chase this dream for 20 years. 50-something fights later, hopefully, I inspired somebody here to go fight for theirs, no matter what it is."
Masvidal has since focused on his own bare-knuckle MMA promotion, Gamebred Fighting Championship, and has been working on competing in boxing. Last month it was announced that he would face Diaz in the squared circle at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles for his first boxing match in nearly twenty years. He remains under contract with UFC after signing an extension with the company in 2022, making him one of the highest-paid fighters on the roster. The promotion agreed to allow him to compete in boxing. The time away from competition has made him reconsider a return to mixed martial arts.
But first, he has plans to rack up a few wins in boxing before stepping back into the Octagon.
"I definitely had to come back to fighting. I couldn't go out on an L, especially for this city," he said. "I have to get several W's before I can hang it up, and that's never been more clear in my mind."
Although he doesn't have an opponent targeted for his Octagon return, he does have plans for who he'd like to face in boxing.
"I wouldn't mind taking on Logan Paul and rearranging his face," he said. "He's a hell of a fighter in boxing for being an influencer. He did some good things against [Floyd] Mayweather, but I think I can end that dude. I think I can fight Logan, get my hands on Mayweather, [Manny] Pacquiao down the road. There are other guys I want to fight."