Could we see the return of former UFC “BMF” titleholder Jorge Masvidal (35-17), next summer at the White House?
It’s been well over two years since Masvidal’s last appearance inside the octagon. “Gamebred” finished his UFC career in a rough stretch, where he lost four consecutive fights. In his last outing, he took a unanimous decision loss against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 in April 2023.
Following the contest, Masvidal announced his retirement from MMA. However, he recently expressed his desire to compete at the UFC’s upcoming White House card, in June 2026.
In anticipation of his potential return, we look at four possible opponents he could take on.
Leon Edwards
The former undisputed UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, has fallen into an 0-3 skid. On the undercard of UFC 322 last Saturday, Edwards was knocked out in the second round against Carlos Prates, which was his third consecutive loss. “Rocky” and Masvidal have some history, which stems from a backstage fight in 2019. Although they remained on different paths following the incident, and never got a chance to settle their animosity.
Sean Brady
Following a three-fight win streak, including a submission win against Edwards at UFC Fight Night 255 in March, Sean Brady was inching closer to a title shot at 170 pounds. He hit a setback, in an upset first-round TKO loss to Michael Morales on the UFC 322 card. Brady will seek to bounce back, and may need a couple of wins to get back into title contention.
Colby Covington
“Chaos” hasn’t fought in almost a year, and is coming off back-to-back defeats. Colby Covington suffered a third-round TKO loss against Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 63 in December 2024. Throughout his career, Covington has been a big supporter of President Donald J. Trump.
He visited Trump at the White House, when he held the interim UFC welterweight title in 2018. It’s no surprise that he wants to compete at the White House event next summer. Covington defeated Masvidal at UFC 272 in March 2022 by unanimous decision, which won Fight of the Night.
Nate Diaz
The native of Stockton, California, proposed a fight of his own for the UFC White House card: a trilogy match with former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor. The fan favorite Diaz had two thrilling fights against McGregor in 2016, which both earned Fight of the Night.
However, UFC President Dana White may have other plans for “Notorious.” In November 2019, Diaz met Masvidal for the symbolic UFC “BMF” title at UFC 244, where he lost by third-round TKO. A rematch between two of the most exciting competitors wouldn’t be a bad idea.
