Daniel Cormier doesn’t want to see Jorge Masvidal come out of retirement.
Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC) hung up his gloves after he dropped a unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 in April. The loss marked Masvidal’s fourth straight setback.
Masvidal, 38, recently told ESPN that his reflexes are off, and that he doesn’t want to be a stepping stone for rising contenders. Cormier agrees and thinks Masvidal retiring in his hometown of Miami is a moment that shouldn’t be touched.
“I think that he probably had the best ending that he could have had in Miami,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC.” “People adored him. He didn’t really get beat up or hurt that bad by Gilbert Burns, but as you age, if you are a guy that for a long time has kind of been OK – Masvidal is a fantastic mixed martial artist, but he hasn’t ever been the best in the world – if you haven’t been the best in the world and you start to hang around too long, it only gets worse.
“We have seen it time and time again where those guys that are kind of good, but not the best state, they end up getting knocked out. I think this is probably his best case – fighting one of the best in the world in front of your home fans and not getting absolutely demolished. He should stay away from the game.”
Masvidal’s most recent losses have come to former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, former interim champ Colby Covington and former title challenger Burns. “Gamebred” fell short in his pursuit of gold on two occasions against Usman – once a short-notice decision at UFC 251, then a knockout loss in their rematch at UFC 261.
