As a result of what he’s accomplished over the last 12 months, Jorge Masvidal has established himself as one of the biggest names on the UFC roster. But, it looks like “Gamebred” is already mapping out an exit plan for his fighting career.

Masvidal talks next steps and retirement

Due to Masvidal’s victories this past year over Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz, the star’s been in plenty of  ‘fighter of the year conversations’. Not only that, there’s plenty of buzz about what could be next for Masvidal. Will he fight the winner of next Saturday’s Kamaru Usman – Colby Covington title fight? Nick Diaz? Or possibly Conor McGregor?

Well, recently MMA Mania caught up with Masvidal, and while discussing his next steps, the veteran said this:

“Before I close the next chapter and go on to whatever the fuck in my life, I’m gonna get that belt and whoever has it, I’m gonna take their head off,” Masvidal said. “Then I’m gonna defend that belt and I’m gonna kick whoever they put in front of me’s ass. I’m gonna separate myself from the pack by eliminating people by having somebody stop me from doing further damage.”

“…I got about three years left, then I’ll hang up the gloves comfortably. Not because I need to, but because I want to. I’ll have enough money and everything I wanted to accomplish in these three years. It’s more of a matter of who’s going to bring me the most money in this next fight.”

The timeline makes sense

Now, the knee jerk reaction of some fans might be ‘only three more years?’ But, when you take a look at this, the timeline makes plenty of sense. In fact, you could wonder if Masvidal might be in a place to walk away even earlier.

Masvidal recently turned 35, so, in another three years he’s going to be pushing 40. It’s not uncommon to see heavyweights remaining elite competitors into their late 30’s and 40’s, but less so when we’re talking about welterweights and lower.

Plus, in Masvidal, we’re talking about someone who has already fought in nearly 50 pro bouts, and who has been fighting professionally since 2003. Although Masvidal has only been stopped once by strikes (which is incredible), he’s been in plenty of wars and innumerable sparring sessions.

Then there’s the money factor as he alluded to. If Masvidal plays his cards right, he could be in line for some massive paychecks in 2020 and 2021. Bouts with Diaz or McGregor would be absolutely massive, and a fight with his former buddy, Covington, would be big too. There’s not as much heat between Masvidal and Usman. But, there’s likely plenty of people who would like to see Masvidal challenge Usman for the belt.

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