Jorge Masvidal targets Stephen Thompson for UFC return after boxing match with Nate Diaz

Jorge Masvidal seems to be very interested in returning to the UFC despite announcing his retirement from the organization in April 2023. Currently, ‘Gamebred’ is all set to face Nate Diaz in the boxing ring on July 6. However, his recent interview with ‘CBS Sports’ reporter Shakiel Mahjouri revealed that he had plans to rejoin the UFC after his fight with Diaz. The former BMF of the UFC also revealed that he would love to face Stephen Thompson in his comeback fight.

Masvidal has already clashed with ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson once he entered the octagon. However, ‘Gamebred’ failed to raise his hand at the end of their UFC 217 encounter, as the judges awarded the bout to Thompson via unanimous decision. This loss and the respect Masvidal had for Thompson made him choose the latter as his UFC comeback rival, as he stated,

“You won’t find anyone who would talk bad about him. I think our second fight would be a lot better. So I would love to fight Thompson when I come back (to the UFC).”

Well, ‘Gamebred’ may have decided to make the switch to the boxing ring after announcing his retirement from the UFC. However, his intended rival, Diaz, did not follow his path. Instead, Diaz took a break from the UFC and decided to try his luck in professional boxing. However, Diaz, like Masvidal, has been eyeing a return to the UFC for some time now.

Diaz wanted to return to the UFC before Masvidal

Considering Masvidal’s prominence in the UFC community, it’s clear that UFC boss Dana White would have no objection to his comeback. The 54-year-old would love to arrange another Masvidal vs. Thompson matchup due to the potential it offers in terms of revenue generation.

White, however, has not been as receptive to Diaz’s desire to return to the octagon. An “X” update from “The Stockton Gangster” revealed that he wanted to make his return at UFC 300, but the plan fell through as the UFC boss wasn’t interested.

Well, now that both Masvidal and Diaz have revealed their desires to return to the octagon, the UFC boss could potentially set up a fight between these two stars. When you look at the history between them, it’s pretty clear that a Diaz vs. Masvidal matchup would be a huge crowd pleaser, which is exactly what White wants. Still, only time will tell if ‘Gamebred’ or ‘The Stockton Gangster’ gets the chance to step inside the octagon again.