JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A longtime competitor in combat sports, Jorge Masvidal will try his hand at promoting for the first time in 2021.
Thursday, Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 15-8 UFC) announced on Instagram the launch of Gamebred Fighting Championship, a bareknuckle MMA promotion. The first event is planned for June 25 in Miami. No venue or lineup has been announced.
Puerto Rican rapper and singer Anuel AA is partnering with Masvidal for his new business venture. Every fighter who competes for the promotion will be outfitted by Anuel AA’s clothing brand.
Masvidal’s manager, Ibrahim Kawa, who will be involved with the Gamebred Fighting Championship operations in some capacity, provided additional details to MMA Junkie following Thursday’s UFC 261 pre-fight news conference at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
“Anuel has a saying: ‘Real hasta la muerte,’ which basically means, ‘Real until I die,'” Kawa said. “That resonates with Jorge and the brand that Jorge is trying to make. … We’re looking forward to a lot of blood, gore and finding the best fighters out there who are going to make it.
“… If you guys are looking for something a little bit different, just imagine what they do without gloves. That’s kind of the idea. Better grappling. Better striking. We assume there’s going to be better finishes.”
Kawa said Gamebred Fighting Championship events will be available to stream on the Bare Knuckle TV app.
While Masvidal never formally competed in licensed bareknuckle events, the first glimpse of notoriety he received in his combat sports career came during the prime streetfighting era of early YouTube star-turned-MMA fighter Kimbo Slice. Masvidal competed in the unsanctioned backyard brawls, which rose to fame. He most notably defeated Slice’s protege, Reynaldo “Ray” Fuentes.
Masvidal, 36, has his second UFC title shot Saturday at UFC 261. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
