Jorge Masvidal announced his retirement following the loss against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. Burns handed Masvidal his fourth straight loss inside the octagon.
The fight began with both fighters circling around trying to get a read on each other’s range. Masvidal appeared to be the more active fighter, landing eight leg kicks midway into the first frame of the fight. Burns looked like he was looking for the opportune moment to either shoot or land one seminal blow to hurt ‘Gamebred’. Towards the end of the round, Burns rushed in with a body lock and took Masvidal down, finishing the round on top drilling hard shots.
As soon as the second round started, Burns went for a takedown, seemingly having assessed Masvidal’s range. He remained on top of Masvidal and pounded him with elbows while the Miami native attempted to escape the position. ‘Gamebred’ managed to get back on the feet momentarily, but Burns kept tiring him with the clinchwork.
Fatigue clearly started showing on Masvidal’s face by the third round. Burns managed to hurt his opponent with a strong overhand right that stung Masvidal. ‘Durinho’ kept hurting the 38-year-old on the feet with his right hand and took Masvidal down with one minute left on the clock.
In the end, Burns got his hand raised by unanimous decision (30-27 X 3). A breathtaking display of the sport’s thrills and agonies ensued as one of the sport’s longest active fighters retired in front of his home crowd. With that, Jorge Masvidal’s 20-year storied MMA career came to an end at UFC 287.
Hailing from humble beginnings as a street fighter, Jorge Masvidal went on to win the one and only ‘BMF’ championship. He also holds the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history.
Tributes from fellow fighters and fans started pouring in for Jorge Masvidal following the announcement. UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling wrote:
“Mannnn! Another one gone from the fight game!! ? another one of my all time favorite fighters! Father Time catches up to all of us. Shout out to Jorge Masvidal! A real OG of the fight game! You will be missed!! #UFC287”
Former rival Ben Askren hilariously wrote:
“Well at least I won’t have to see that stupid ass highlight again now.”
UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler wrote:
“If that was the last time we saw @GamebredFighter…what a dream he created with his two bare hands. What a pleasure to watch all these years. #ufc287.”
Check out some of the reactions below:
Gilbert Burns honors Jorge Masvidal following announcement of his retirement
Jorge Masvidal hinted that he would retire if he lost to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. The Miami native stayed true to his words and bowed out as one of the biggest stars in the sport today.
Burns tested Masvidal for three rounds, and in the end, both fighters displayed class as Masvidal urged Burns to get the next title shot.
Reacting to Masvidal’s storied MMA career in the post-fight interview, Burns stated:
“Shoutout to this guy [Masvidal]. He’s still the king from this city. This guy brought the UFC back into Miami. We are just here because of this guy.”
Check out the interview below: