Jorge Masvidal thinks it’s best for “borderline vegetable” Nate Diaz to walk away from the “big leagues” following his UFC 279 swan song.
On September 10th, the ‘Stockton Samurai’ made his final walk to the Octagon after a tumultuous 72 hours that saw his original opponent Khamzat Chimaev pulled from the headlining bout and replaced with fan favorite Tony ‘El Cucuy’ Ferguson. Earning a fourth-round submission, Diaz exited the UFC on his own terms.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, former Nate Diaz opponent Jorge Masvidal spoke about the man from 209’s retirement in true ‘Gamebred’ fashion.
“That’s good for him to leave the big leagues before he gets serious brain damage. I think the guy’s like borderline vegetable. In his interviews, his spunkiness, his wittiness, his sharpness has gone to shit. Like, you have to wait for him. The pause has gotten longer. You used to ask him a question, there’d be like a two-second pause. It’s like a 30-second pause now. Good for him, man. He shouldn’t be in the big league. He’s gonna get hurt, man. Take that old ass dude somewhere else, ya know? Plus, I almost killed his a** as the referee saved him, so I don’t really like him too much.”
Jorge Masvidal currently awaiting trial for his alleged March attack on Colby Covington
Jorge Masvidal’s last win inside the Octagon came at UFC 244 in 2019 against Nate Diaz. Squaring off in the main event of the evening, the fight was stopped following the third round due to a cut sustained by Diaz. ‘Gamebred’ was awarded the victory via TKO. Since then, Masvidal has dropped three straight including back-to-back losses to then-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
His last appearance came at UFC 272 in March where he once again stepped into the main event spotlight, this time against his former friend turned bitter rival, Colby Covington. ‘Chaos’ earned a unanimous decision victory, utilizing his wrestling throughout the 25-minute affair. Despite settling their differences inside the Octagon, Masvidal was far from done with Covington.
Weeks following their UFC 272 headliner, Masvidal allegedly attacked Covington outside of a Miami steakhouse, leaving ‘Chaos’ with a fractured tooth and a wrist abrasion. Jorge Masvidal has since pleaded not guilty despite seemingly taking credit for the attack in a tweet shortly after the incident occurred. Masvidal’s trial date is tentatively scheduled for December 5th.
Covington has yet to return to the Octagon since the incident, but Dana White confirmed that he is ready to go and rumors suggest that he could return to face undefeated welterweight monster Khamzat Chimaev.