"Fighting Islam Makhachev for the belt" - Fans react as Jorge Masvidal announces he's "unretired" amid UFC 300 hype 

Jorge Masvidal recently dropped a bombshell on social media, sending the mixed martial arts community into a frenzy. 'Gamebred' teased a potential return to the octagon ahead of the highly anticipated UFC 300 event in April.

The former UFC welterweight contender retired about eight months ago at UFC 287 in April 2023, where Gilbert Burns handed him his fourth straight loss via unanimous decision. In the aftermath, Masvidal laid his gloves down and announced his retirement after a storied career that spanned two decades.

'Gamebred' was known for being among MMA's longest-active fighters and famously beat Nate Diaz to win the 'BMF' title at UFC 244 in November 2019. He also set the promotional record for the fastest knockout ever against Ben Askren at UFC 239 in July 2019.

Eight months post-retirement, it appears Masvidal may potentially grace the octagon once again. The 39-year-old posted a one-word message on X, stating:

"Unretired."

While he provided no further context for his message, fans speculated on a possible comeback and flocked to the comments section to express their thoughts.

One fan wrote:

"Fighting Islam Makhachev for the belt."

Few fans asked:

"Rematch with Darren Till in the boxing ring, who says no?"

"Rematch vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 300?"

Check out some more reactions below:

Screenshots from @GamebredFighter on X

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When Jorge Masvidal explained how getting older affected his performances in the octagon

In April last year, Jorge Masvidal opened up about his decision to call it a career in mixed martial arts and revealed how getting older affected his fighting prowess.

While Masvidal never discounted the possibility of returning to combat sports in the future, he knew it was time to step away from the UFC after a two-decade-long career. In an interview with Marc Raimondi of ESPN MMA, he explained how his age played a role in his decision to retire and said:

"Here's the honest truth, I'm still fast. I'm still explosive. I have good endurance... But there's just a couple of things that, as you get older, they slow down... I've been feeling from 34 to 37 that, in that department and solely in that department, my reflexes and reaction time took a big dip."

He continued:

"When you ask me about coming back to fighting, my heart, body, mind, and soul want to do it, but do I want to be like a stepping stone?"

Catch Jorge Masvidal's comments below (9:38):