Leaving my kids for training camp is tearing me apart, but Nate Diaz will pay for it, Jorge Masvidal says before match

He followed up his five-second flying knee finish over Ben Askren with a stoppage against Diaz.

But Masvidal then suffered four straight defeats, the last coming against Gilbert Burns in his backyard of Miami in April 2023.

It briefly marked the end of his career, before he announced he would be returning – but first to boxing.

Masvidal revealed that the UFC will allow him to have a maximum of three boxing bouts before returning to the cage.

And the former seasoned backyard fighter has done everything he can to avoid becoming yet another MMA fighter exposed in the boxing ring.

“I really put a lot of time into transitioning the craft,” Masvidal explains.

“Because I didn’t want to start boxing as an MMA guy from the beginning and wanted to use my MMA training as a complement to my boxing.

“No, I wanted to do what boxers do. I wanted to box the way they train, get into that routine. So I came here to Las Vegas.

“I’ve been here for about six months now and I’ve been boxing from sunrise to sunset.

“We just do what boxers do and I think that pays off.

Nate has to pay for everything, you know, his face has to pay all those bills.

Jorge Masvidal

“I learned a lot, I changed a lot in my posture, my way of moving and my footwork.

“Even the way I throw punches, because I’m not worried about takedowns and kicks now.

“So the standing, the strategies, the movements, the efficiency are a little bit different now.

“And I’m glad that now I have more time to concentrate on my craft and focus on the basics of boxing.”

Masvidal has moved into Jorge Capetillo’s gym in Eastside Vegas and ran into a number of boxing stars when Canelo Alvarez stopped by.

“I have a lot of respect for Canelo, even more outside the ring than in it, because he is such a damn good and humble person,” he said.

“He will greet everyone in the room. He will do his best to shake everyone’s hand.

“There are 200 fans outside, he takes pictures with all of them, how he treats his staff, how he treats his coaches.

“And I’ve seen it a few times, he’s just a damn solid, good guy and I really like that about him.

“Then he took his time to watch me spar, he took five minutes. He took his time because he was getting ready to drop weight and do his s**t.

“And bro, nobody wants to talk in those times. I’m a fighter, I’ve been fighting for 20 years when I’m cutting weight and stuff like that.

“I’m just worried about myself, focused on myself and he took the time, the time to come to me and give me five to seven minutes of like, ‘Look, this works for boxing, this doesn’t. If I were you, I would do this, forget that and this is how I do it. Maybe you want to try it this way, maybe you want to try it this way.’

“And I just thought that was the f***ing coolest thing ever.

“I was given the face of boxing and I’m one of the best boxers in the world. He gave me tips straight from his heart and what made him successful. And what I could use to make me successful.

“So I thought that was more than f***ing awesome.”