Jorge Masvidal says he is betting huge on bare-knuckle MMA in 2026 and believes the announcement of a $500,000 heavyweight grand prize will hold him again within the sport for at the very least two years.
Talking on MMA Junk, Masvidal defined that Gamebred Preventing Championship is on hiatus whereas he raises cash and rebuilds the workforce behind the scenes. “We took a while off…we raised cash, we gathered materials, we assembled a workforce, and we got here again,” he mentioned, including that that they had secured sufficient funding for “two years of stable leisure” earlier than “rolling the cube once more” with the intention of touchdown a community deal. He characterised the challenge as an arduous activity to “get the test” and requested for additional assist from followers to revive the promotion.
UFC veteran competes in bare-knuckle MMA at Jorge Masvidal’s $500,000 Gamebred Grand Prix
On the heart of the restart is a heavyweight bare-knuckle MMA event, with $500,000 awarded to the champion after 4 fights in 2026. In keeping with Masvidal, the bracket will function 10 UFC veterans, a former The Final Fighter winner, two previous PFL event winners, a bare-knuckle champion and athletes from seven nations, all of whom will struggle with out gloves for what he calls the World Grand Prix title. The collection begins April 10 within the Dominican Republic, with remaining rounds scheduled all year long.
Present plans transcend a single body. Masvidal and Gamebred officers have confirmed that there can be two 16-a-side tournaments in 2026, one heavyweight and one light-weight, with every event providing first place prizes of $500,000 and whole prize cash of $1 million. The heavyweight discipline will open on the April 10 card within the Dominican Republic, whereas the Could 1 occasion in Miami will function the early rounds of the light-weight event. Early heavyweight bouts embrace the shock return of former UFC title challenger and present analyst Anthony Smith, who will face fellow UFC veteran Chase Sherman. Different names being reported for this slot embrace Guto Inocente vs. Mohamed Usman, Alexander Romanov vs. Nikolai Kovalenko, and Bruno Caperozza vs. Todd Duffy.
Masvidal positions Gamebred Naked-Knuckle MMA as a ruleset with a twist on the acquainted uniform guidelines. So it is full MMA with takedowns and submissions, however no gloves. In a current video, he emphasised that that is “bare-knuckle blended martial arts, not bare-knuckle boxing” and claimed that eradicating the gloves truly will increase the possibilities of a floor end. He mentioned submissions are “by the roof” as a result of the lock feels stronger and the defender cannot seize the glove and stall. With naked fingers, he likened hand management to chasing a “greased pig,” saying he believed the grip would slip and make it more durable to lock in place, which might power the fighter to assault and produce a extra decisive final result.
Masvidal referred to as Gamebred Naked-Knuckle MMA “probably the most violent present on the planet” in a previous interview, and argued that with the best funding and former UFC names on board, the year-long experiment might safe a broadcast house and a everlasting spot on the fight sports activities calendar.
