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UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal isn’t one to hide what he thinks or feels. It was no different for the 35-year-old from Miami earlier this week when he was interviewed by Dan Le Batard for an episode of the South Beach Sessions podcast.
During their long talk, Masvidal refuted the claim that his political leanings somehow made him a racist.
“What the hell?” Masvidal asked. “What is this country itself coming to? I’m racist? I’m racist? People are gonna dare say I’m racist?”
Jorge Masvidal’s Strong Political Views Ruffle Feathers
Where most UFC fighters seem to steer clear of expressing their political views as a general policy, something Masvidal told Heavy he also did as recently as January, the UFC’s “BMF” champion has changed course by openly sharing some of his thoughts and opinions in support of President Donald J. Trump over recent months.
Because of that, Masvidal has been labeled by some as an enemy rather than someone with a different viewpoint. As someone born from immigrant parents, Masvidal isn’t a fan of being labeled things that he believes his life story has already refuted.
“You know how many times I’ve been shoved in the ground by cops and had my face on the concrete for doing absolutely nothing? Because I’ve been on this journey since I was 13 years old. And for some reason, because I have a tattoo on my neck and I’m a Latin dude, I’ve been discriminated a lot more than you would possibly think possible.”
Masvidal said that he enjoys a different kind of life today thanks to his superstar status in the UFC. But the recent welterweight title challenger who fought Kamaru Usman on just six days’ notice at UFC 250 also said things weren’t always this way for him.
“I wasn’t always Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal, all of a sudden everybody knows me. No, no, no, for many years, nobody knew me,” Masvidal said.
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Jorge Masvidal Believes These Kinds of Labels Are ‘Sign of the Times’
For Masvidal, how he’s treated today by some people because of his viewpoint on political matters is a sign of the times, and it’s one the MMA star definitely doesn’t think should be happening.
“When people would say I’m racist because I would pick a certain person, that lets you know where this is going as a society.”
For all the trouble he’s received supporting some of the president’s policies, Masvidal still isn’t backing away from sharing his viewpoint.
“The lowest unemployment for Latin and Black people, that gives us dignity,” Masvidal said. “That gives my community dignity. People are working and making more money. The pay gaps that have happened in the middle class are nice, are good.”
For Masvidal, it’s simply a case of giving credit where that credit is due.
“It’s numbers,” Masvidal said. “It’s facts. He’s actually helping out my people. And I’m supposed to not give credit for that?”
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