Jorge Masvidal has enjoyed a lengthy tenure in the fight game and the UFC. With a career spanning over a decade, Masvidal has trained and sparred with the best of the best. However, he may not always have the best things to say about his teammates.
For one, he had outright renounced his friendship with Colby Covington a long time ago. Despite being very close to ‘Chaos’ at one point, the two had one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history. Similarly, Jorge may have unintentionally let out his true thoughts about former UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes.
Previously, Jorge appeared on the ‘The Kim Congdon Takeover’ podcast. Here, Masvidal drew a controversial comparison to Amanda and how she would reportedly struggle during sparring. “If we got a guy that was from the UFC, bottom of the barrel, like a 2-2 guy, or maybe 0-1 guy, they would have to tell that guy not to go full blast”.
According to Jorge, there was no doubt that ‘The Lioness’ was the ‘greatest woman fighter that has ever lived’. As such, she would naturally make a meal out of any female fighter in her path. With that said, Masvidal reveals that male fighters with middling records were told to go half-strength against her. Here, ‘Gamebred‘ clarifies that it wasn’t to discredit Amanda, but simply to show the difference in the natural capabilities of the male and female bodies.
Jorge Masvidal was ‘devastated’ after Amanda Nunes left ATT
Despite his thoughts on the capabilities of the male and female bodies, Jorge Masvidal always held Amanda Nunes in high regard. Following her exit from the American Top Team gym, the former BMF title holder was visibly affected. Having spent seven years at ATT, Nunes decided to change following her loss to Julianna Peña at UFC 269.
Initially, Amanda joined the gym in 2014, when she was relatively new to the UFC. After joining the Florida-based gym, Nunes went on a ridiculous winning spree until the shock loss to Pena. Realizing that she needed a change of scenery, the 35-year-old started her own gym to have better focus and undivided attention.
Following the win in the rematch at UFC 277, Nunes would go on to fight Irene Aldana at UFC 289. Having solidified her legacy as the undisputed GWOAT, Nunes revealed that she was finally retiring. Speaking on her departure from ATT, Masvidal said, “Obviously it hurts and obviously I want her [to stay] at American Top Team and I think we all do, we all love her. So it’s like a… It’s a devastating blow”.
Although Jorge Masvidal never personally sparred or worked with Amanda Nunes, the two did share the journey to the top. With that said, Jorge revealed that he was extremely proud of the two-divisional champ and her success. Thus, it is clear to see that his relationship with Nunes was one of great camaraderie and respect.