Jorge Masvidal has stated that he is negotiating directly with President Donald Trump to secure a spot on the UFC’s planned White House event in June 2026, according to recent podcast appearances. However, the assertion raises significant credibility issues given that the Miami fighter has not competed in mixed martial arts since April 2023 and has scarcely stepped into any combat sports competition over the intervening years.
Jorge Masvidal’s Claims of White House Event Negotiations Ring Hollow
Masvidal‘s comments came during podcast appearances where he claimed to be training diligently in preparation for potential inclusion on the historic card. Speaking on platforms discussing the White House event, the 40-year-old fighter stated his intentions to contact Trump directly to secure a booking:
“I’ve been training for like 2–3 months now. I’m calling Trump and everybody — you got to get me on this card. I’m just staying focused, staying in shape; hopefully everything works out. I’m still always down to fight Leon just ’cause we got all the history. I’ve never had any ill will towards Leon and I still don’t have ill will towards him, but I’d still love to punch him in the face and just settle all that. If it’s not Leon, just give me somebody that’s going to come and fight. Let’s throw down for the president.”
The claim warrants scrutiny when examined against Masvidal’s recent activity level. His last MMA bout occurred at UFC 287 on April 9, 2023, when he lost via unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns in his hometown of Miami. That loss marked his fourth consecutive defeat in the UFC, ending a 20-year career that peaked in 2019. Masvidal announced his retirement immediately after that loss, relinquishing his gloves to the crowd.
Since his April 2023 retirement, Masvidal’s only competitive combat sports appearance was a boxing match against Nate Diaz in July 2024. He lost that bout via majority decision after ten rounds, disputing the judges’ scoring. According to court documents, Masvidal and Diaz both faced non-payment from the event organizer Fanmio, leading to litigation that resulted in Masvidal receiving a default judgment of $5.3 million in October 2025. Beyond that single boxing match, Masvidal has not competed professionally in over two years.
Since his retirement, he has repeatedly signaled intentions to return to competition, discussing comeback dates with UFC leadership on multiple occasions. In December 2024, Masvidal told media that he planned to return to the UFC in April 2025 for an event in Miami. That return never happened. Similarly, throughout 2024 and into 2025, Masvidal made various public statements about imminent comebacks, none of which came to fruition.
Between 2020 and 2023, Masvidal lost fights to Kamaru Usman on two separate occasions, facing knockout in their second meeting in April 2021, then lost to Colby Covington via unanimous decision in March 2022, and finally to Gilbert Burns in 2023. His last victory came in November 2019 against Nate Diaz, representing a four-year gap from any win inside the UFC octagon.
While Trump has made public appearances at UFC events and maintains a professional relationship with UFC president Dana White, there is no indication from either the UFC or the Trump camp of negotiations with Masvidal for the White House event. UFC CEO Dana White announced in October 2025 that the promotion would not begin booking fighters for the event until the first quarter of 2026 for the event booked June 14.
Masvidal does maintain a history with Trump, having shaken hands with the former president at UFC 287 during his retirement announcement.
