Jorge Masvidal is still on a mission to prove that he is the “BMF” alive. Not only is Masvidal gearing up for his pro boxing debut, but his Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA brand continues to make huge strides within the combat sports world. Saturday’s event, by all accounts, has the potential to be something special.
The main event features two UFC vets. Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos battles BKFC heavyweight champion, Alan Belcher. The card is loaded with entertaining fighters like, “Felony” Charles Bennett, Anthony Njokuani, and many others. Masvidal seems to keep all options open on the fighting and promotional front, and the UFC “BMF” Champion is staying busy. Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 7 will be exclusively shown on www.kick.com. Masvidal talks to Zenger News about balancing fighting and promoting and much more.
You have a lot going on, brother. How are you doing?
Masvidal: Great! I’m training and promoting. I train in the mornings and then I get with my team and discuss promotional ideas and scout fighters who I would like to bring into Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA at night.
Have you found a balance there?
Masvidal: You can’t do the promotional thing by yourself. That’s not happening. That’s why I always shout out my team. The thing is, whether I’m fighting or promoting, it’s all revolved around fighting. I have been around fighting my whole life, so I can do that. Now, if you want me to sell you insurance or something like that, I may be in trouble, but the balance for me is, its all about fighting, so I’m comfortable.
You are scratching a bucket list itch entering a boxing ring. Do you have a fight lined up?
Masvidal: Soon! I’ll have an announcement soon. We are working on something big, and you’re right, I have always wanted to box. Been watching boxing for a long time, now I finally get to live out my dreams to box. Shout out to Francis Ngannou. He went to boxing not looking for a soft touch and a pay day. He said give me the best heavyweight on the planet and let’s rock out. Francis went right into boxing and fought Tyson Fury and now he’s fighting Anthony Joshua. Francis is a bad man, so I gotta give him his props for that.
For me, I want to get my feet wet. Obviously, I’ll see how everything goes, but it won’t be a one and done for me. I eventually want to work my way up, win a few belts, and start cracking some of the top dog’s faces. To have the opportunity to box is a dream come true, for sure.
Joe Rogan, who is a fan of yours, had some very pleasant things to say about your company and the Belcher- Roy Nelson fight. It had to be a good feeling to hear Joe speak so highly of your product.
Masvidal: Yeah man! To have someone who knows so much about fighting and so much experience seeing combat sports grow from the ground up… that was bad ass to hear him talk Gamebred up. Me and Joe have had a few conversations and we talked about getting him out to one of our events live, so he can witness it for himself.
I always give props to Joe Rogan. To mention me and my promotion is the biggest thing. He has the biggest podcast and a lot of people that follow him are into combat. He likes the MMA bareknuckle. He knows it brings it right back to the tradition and it’s a little different fighting in this than with the gloves.
Alan Belcher versus Junior Dos Santos on Saturday night at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 7. What are you expecting?
Belcher: I think this fight is going to be crazy. Obviously, Alan is going to have to work his way in. Junior is a little taller and a little longer, so I figure he will be using his jab and staying on the outside. I really don’t know who wins this fight, Percy. It’s a tough fight to pick, but the winner walks away as the first heavyweight champion in our company’s history, so a lot is at stake. I think these two guys understand that and they both want to be crowned champion.
I love the fact that you’re giving opportunities to fighters who have not only paid their dues but been around combat forever. Charles Bennett is on the card, Anthony Njokuani is on the card. You’re truly giving back to those deserving despite the path their careers took.
Masvidal: You know your shit, man. I’m a huge fan of “Felony” [Charles Bennett]. A lot of people may not know “Felony,” but I’m a huge “Felony” fan. There needs to be a movie made on this guy. I hang out with him for like 3-4 days during fight week. This guy is pure entertainment. From the moment he lands off of the plane, all my shooters know just have the cameras on this guy because he is the best, bro. Anthony Njokuani is a killer on his feet. I’ve been watching him since his WEC days. We were both in the same weight class, 155, so I always kept my eyes on him just in case we would’ve had to scrap in the future.
So, I know Anthony very well. I like this guy a lot. He has killer instincts, very well-rounded on his feet, kicks, elbows, knees, kicks, punches. Sometimes you see good athletes that aren’t killers. Anthony is this good athlete that’s trying to chop your legs off, knee you in the liver, and anything to get you to stop moving. I love Anthony and that’s why we keep bringing him back because he puts on a show every time.
I know the streams have been climbing. How important was it for you to bring it back to the essence?
Masvidal: Yes sir! Junior Dos Santos versus Fabricio Werdum, we had about 80-90,000 viewers watching live. After the event, the views totaled over a million viewers in 5 hours. So, that let me know that we’re coming. There is a huge demand for this, the rawest form of combat. I’m not trying to do anything gimmicky and have guys fighting in a phone booth. I’m just doing it in the rawest form that I know. The way that a lot of people know is how I came up. We wanted to bring that back.
You said I am opening doors for a lot of fighters, that’s always something that I want to do with this promotion. I’ll take you back to 20 something years ago when Kimbo Slice invited me to fight in his backyard. Kimbo back then was a legit rockstar. Nobody was doing the type of numbers he was doing. He broke the internet every single time one of his fights would get uploaded.
When he called me to come fight on his platform, I was overwhelmed and filled with joy. I always thought, maybe I wouldn’t reach those numbers, but maybe I could get like 500,000 views. Low and behold, it’s one of my most viewed fights ever. That being said, I always wanted to give that back because Kimbo just showed me love and let me be on his platform. All the cameras that are on me, we’re putting them on these guys, if you want the shine, come and get it.
How can people tune in for this one on Saturday night?
Masvidal: We actually secured an exclusive deal for the event to be streamed at www.kick.com. Everyone be sure to tune in. I think the cards and getting better and the fights have been amazing.
(Additional reporting provided by Miriam Onyango)
