UFC News: Jorge Masvidal Books Pride Legend In First-Ever 'Gamebred FC' Event

Jorge Masvidal is hoping his newly-founded mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion could raise the bar in bare-knuckle fighting.

Following his devastating title fight defeat to Kamaru Usman at UFC 261, Masvidal has been busy working on his bare-knuckle MMA venture Gamebred Fighting Championship.

On Saturday, Masvidal officially announced the outfit’s first-ever event, a featherweight bout between Jason Knight and MMA legend Charles Bennett happening on June 18.

The aforementioned fighters headlining the said card are both recognized in the sport, having competed under the banner of some of the most highly-acclaimed organizations in the world.

Bennett has been around the game for more than two decades now and has over 70 professional bouts to his name, strutting his wares in Pride FC, Rizin, EliteXC, BKFC and King of the Cage in the past.

After being arrested 14 times on different charges, Bennett--formerly known as “Krazy Horse”--changed his moniker to “Felony.”

Reflecting on his run-ins with the law, the 41-year-old admitted that it was during his time in the county jail when he realized that he was destined to fight.

“When I was in the county jail, a lot of officers and [expletive]s that were coming in and out of jail were coming in and saying, you know, ‘[Expletive], I just saw you on BET with TI and Young Dro and all these [expletive]s’,” Bennett recalled. “Every time that I would turn around, officers and people that were coming in and out of jail would come up to me and be like, ‘Dude, you’re too talented for this [expletive].”

Knight, on the other hand, is a professional bare-knuckle boxer and was a former UFC fighter.

During his time with the UFC, “The Kid” racked up a record of 4-5, beating the likes of Dan Hooker and Alex Caceres.

Masvidal’s manager, Ibrahim Kawa--who is equally involved in spearheading the Gamebred FC operations--assured fans that the promotion will take combat sports to another level.

“Anuel has a saying: ‘Real hasta la muerte,’ which basically means, ‘Real until I die,'” Kawa earlier told MMA Junkie. “That resonates with Jorge [Masvidal] and the brand that Jorge is trying to make. We’re looking forward to a lot of blood, gore and finding the best fighters out there who are going to make it.”

“If you guys are looking for something a little bit different, just imagine what they do without gloves,” he added. “That’s kind of the idea. Better grappling. Better striking. We assume there’s going to be better finishes.”