Should Jorge Masvidal stay retired or risk legacy like Henry Cejudo? A deep dive as 'Gamebred' confirms comeback

Last year, Jorge Masvidal announced his retirement from MMA after a career-worst rough patch. He had succumbed to the effects of aging, and his opponents had begun preying on the limitations that had been exploited by his previous foes for years.

Yet, the original BMF champion has since walked back on his retirement, even issuing a challenge to Nate Diaz via X/Twitter. His actions are similar, in effect, to what Henry Cejudo did in retiring, and then returning. Only, 'Triple C' did so after three years. Although he had been campaigning for a return somewhat earlier.

Cejudo has been unsuccessful since his return, and it has led to a retroactive look on how disastrously he has managed his own career. Would a similar opinion be held regarding Masvidal if he formalizes his return with a fight? Should he return at all?

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The rise and fall of Jorge Masvidal

In 2019, Jorge Masvidal—a career journeyman—caught lightning in a bottle. First, he went to London to flatten Darren Till, who was fresh off a title fight failure, in front of 'The Gorilla's' English faithful. It was a jaw-dropping knockout, given that Masvidal was meant to be a showcase, a winnable fight for Till on home soil.

Whereas Till thereafter spiraled into a career-killing descent, Masvidal had reinvigorated his own. His star power had increased, and he magnified it by taking on then undefeated wrestler Ben Askren. At the time, 'Funky' was among a class of fighters who had proclaimed himself the best without ever fighting in the UFC.

He had captured titles in Bellator and ONE Championship but had yet to test himself under the brightest of lights. Nevertheless, he was a high-level wrestler with an unbeaten record and world championships in different promotions. According to some, fighting him was like grappling multiple people.

Furthermore, he had something of a feud with Masvidal, which quickly sparked the intrigue of the casual fanbase, as feuds often do. So when both men clashed at UFC 239, the stakes couldn't have been higher. Imagine, then, Askren's embarrassment when he was knocked out in five seconds.

Check out Jorge Masvidal knocking out Ben Askren:

'Gamebred's' flying knee became the fastest knockout in UFC history, and it turned him into a bonafide star. Now on a two-fight win streak, fans began to buy into his talk of being an elite fighter, a genuine title threat. He even caught the attention of the notoriously hard-to-impress Nate Diaz.

What followed was a career-maker when Diaz challenged him to a faux title fight for the symbolic BMF belt, a fictitious championship meant to represent the true violence and killer instinct of the most genuine fighters on the roster. The UFC then brought it to life as a platinum belt to justify a main event at UFC 244.

In the leadup, Masvidal channeled his fandom for the 'Scarface' film by essentially cosplaying as its protagonist, Tony Montana, in contrast to his foe's personification of the West Coast gangster life. Finally, both men locked horns, and it was nothing short of domination on Masvidal's behalf.

He dropped, battered, and bloodied Diaz to such an extent that the cage-side doctor ruled the Stockton star unfit to continue fighting. Masvidal was awarded the TKO win and crowned the first BMF champion by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, with his combat sports hero and boxing legend Roberto Durán next to him.

Check out Jorge Masvidal's coronation as the first BMF champion:

If Masvidal was a star prior, he was now a superstar, as evidenced by the 1.3 million pay-per-view buys that his next headliner did... and on short notice at that. At UFC 251, he stepped in as a late-notice replacement for Gilbert Burns, facing Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title.

Underprepared and with no gameplan behind him, Masvidal was dominated en route to an uneventful but convincing unanimous decision loss. It cooled his star power, but he could still push massive numbers, and he had a built-in excuse; he had only lost because he hadn't had a full camp.

So, he faced Usman in a rematch at UFC 261, which sold 700,000 pay-per-views. Those, for reference, are Jon Jones-esque numbers. Ahead of the bout, 'Gamebred' dismissed Usman's punching power, which made it all the more poetic and humiliating when he was knocked out cold by those same pillow fists.

Check out Kamaru Usman knocking out Jorge Masvidal:

Masvidal had gone from authoring 2019's Knockout of the Year to being on the receiving end of 2021's Knockout of the Year. Thereafter, he spiraled, losing to Colby Covington in a grudge match teeming with personal drama between the two former friends. A step behind, Masvidal was outwrestled and exhausted.

Barring a near-knockdown, he was nothing short of helpless against his foe. The same was true in his subsequent bout with Gilbert Burns, who also outwrestled and exhausted him. Only this time, it was across three rounds, not five.

On a four-fight losing streak that dropped him from the welterweight top 10, Masvidal admitted defeat and announced his retirement.

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Comparing Jorge Masvidal's retirement to Henry Cejudo's

Jorge Masvidal's return is preceded by a depressing four-fight losing streak. His time away from the sport has led to a reevaluation of his wins. For example, Darren Till was not as good as expected. The Englishman's previous unbeaten record was built on no-name fighters that even hardcore fans can't identify.

The foes he did beat that had any name value consisted of a lightweight in Donald Cerrone, who was on a two-fight win streak prior to their outing, and Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, who he beat in an uneventful decision. Thereafter, 'The Gorilla' went on to lose five of his next six bouts.

His only win was a razor-thin split decision against Kelvin Gastelum. Now, like 'Gamebred' himself, Till is not fighting. But what of the original BMF champion's other wins from 2019? Askren hadn't beaten anyone of any renown. His only UFC win was a controversial submission against an aging 1–2 Robbie Lawler.

And even then, he was beaten within an inch of defeat prior. After losing to 'Gamebred,' 'Funky' was submitted by Demian Maia and promptly retired. And of course, Nate Diaz, for all his bluster, has never been a true elite. He is more posture than anything, having come up short against elite foes 99% of the time.

His only win against top competition, in fact, was against Conor McGregor. So, Masvidal's wins were questionable, and his four-fight losing streak was telling. Now, he is 39 years old, with his 40th birthday awaiting him in November. He certainly isn't a better fighter now, being inactive and even older than before.

Check out Jorge Masvidal's retirement:

A return, to either MMA or boxing, would be disastrous. If a return from retirement didn't pan out for Henry Cejudo, then it certainly won't for him. After all, 'Triple C' did not retire on a four-fight skid, he retired on top of the game, as the undisputed bantamweight champion fresh off a TKO over his division's GOAT, Dominick Cruz.

Specifically, Cejudo retired after beating the then flyweight champion and an all-time great in Demetrious Johnson, the then bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, a streaking knockout artist a division above in Marlon Moraes, and of course, the bantamweight GOAT, Dominick Cruz.

He retired as a champion, not a loser of four consecutive fights. Even in his return, he fared better than Masvidal could ever hope to. 'Triple C' returned to drag the then bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling to hell and back in a split-decision loss, coming up just short of reclaiming his title after a three-year layoff.

He subsequently lost to Merab Dvalishvili, the streaking uncrowned champion in many people's eyes, but not before having a competitive first round. Masvidal isn't close to the caliber of fighter that Cejudo is, so his return would yield even more disastrous results.

"Everything I do I back it up, 100 percent go for it. I'm definitely unretired. I'm definitely gonna hurt some people. I'm definitely gonna box this year and sh*t, I just want to get in the best shape possible. Get in that cage again and give it all I got."

Check out Jorge Masvidal talk about returning from retirement (9:01):

Would the UFC welcome him back, 40 years old, losing streak and all? For what? His only hope is perhaps boxing Diaz, but who else is there for him to face? Covington is still too entrenched in the welterweight top 10 to give him the time of day. And Jake Paul is now facing proper boxers, not over-the-hill MMA fighters.

Masvidal should not return, lest he undo what remains of a legacy built just over three years.