Former UFC welterweight fighter Jorge Masvidal seemingly retires after losing to Gilbert Burns at UFC. It puts to bed any possibility of a Kevin Holland fight in the future.
Kevin Holland just made a huge statement at UFC 287 as he knocked out Santiago Ponzinibbio. After his unsuccessful venture at Middleweight, Holland came down to welterweight and is currently having a decent run. After the disappointing result against Stephen Thompson in his last bout, Holland is back in the winning column against Ponzinibbio at UFC 287.
Not conventional, but it got the job done! @Trailblaze2top | #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/Xwr0hSG1Uw
— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2023
The bout went to the last round where Kevin Holland finished the bout via TKO at the 3:16 minute of round 3. Although Ponzinibbio protested the stoppage, the commentators seemed to agree with the referee. After the 24th win of his professional career, Kevin Holland took the mic and issued a great callout in the post-fight interview.
Kevin Holland calls out Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287
For those who are unaware, Kevin Holland and Gilbert Burns do not get along that well. During the UFC 287 fight week, Kevin and Masivdal had two heated altercations. The first one came on the day of the pre-fight press conference, and the other came on the day of the weigh-ins. According to Kevin’s manager, Holland’s comment “Sup baby girl” was the catalyst behind their beef.
During their first altercation, Holland mocked Masvidal for his backstage brawl with Leon Edwards in 2019. The Trailblazer labeled Masvidal as a sucker puncher. In return, Masvidal did not mince his words either and had an expletive-filled exchange with Holland. It looks like the former middleweight fighter wants his revenge inside the Octagon in a future bout.
There were rumors that Jorge would hang up his gloves if he lost to Gilbert Burns. But, Kevin certainly wants his shot at the BMF belt if “Gamebred” did not end up retiring.
In the post-fight interview with the legendary Joe Rogan, Kevin did show some respect for Jorge’s accomplishments. But he did express the desire to be the one to retire Masvidal. As Kevin called out their hometown fighter, the Miami crowd greeted it with a huge cheer.
He added, “I know Dana don’t want me to say it. But hey Jorge, if you don’t retire after Gilbert Burns gets done whooping your a** tonight, I would definitely love a chance for that BMF belt.”
Masvidal retires after losing to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287
It does not look like Kevin Holland is getting his wish to fight Jorge Masvidal after all. Gamebred went up against a very dangerous Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of the night. Although there were times when he looked like the old Jorge, Burns was just too good for him and got the bout down to the ground whenever he pleased.
Gilbert won the bout via unanimous decision as the judges scored the bout 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28. After the bout, Jorge seemingly retired as he expressed that the same fire for fighting did not exist inside him anymore. He also thanked his home fans in Miami and seemed to end his career with a record of 37-15.
He added, “I love everybody here, thank you everybody for watching. But this is where I started my career now. It’s been a long 20 years, 50-something fights. You know, sometimes your favorite basketball player ain’t got that 3-pointer no more, your favorite quarterback loses that rifle. I don’t feel the same when in here no more. It’s been 20 long years I love all of you.”
Do you want to see Jorge taking on Kevin Holland in a future bout for the BMF belt despite Masvidal’s retirement? Or do you want Masvidal to stay retired after UFC 287? Let us know in the comments down below.
