Did UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal go to jail?
It's unclear whether or not top UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal spent time behind bars. But a resurfaced viral video of his interview with Ariel Helwani in September 2020 had UFC fans asking once again.
In an episode of ESPN's Ariel Helwani MMA Show, the combat sports journalist alluded to the fact that Masvidal went to jail. 'Gamebred' was clearly uncomfortable with the topic, but he neither confirmed nor denied the rumor.
The exchange between Jorge Masvidal and Ariel Helwani went as follows:
Ariel Helwani: You have spent time in jail.
Jorge Masvidal: We don't need to talk about that. We'll skip that one.
Ariel Helwani: Why not? How old were you?
Jorge Masivdal: When I what? Went to Disney World for the first time?
Ariel Helwani: No, no. The other Disney... the complete opposite of that.
Jorge Masvidal: Those are rumors that I went to jail. That might not even be true, man.
Just as Masvidal thought he had evaded prison-related questions, Helwani changed gears and asked the Florida resident about his father's experience behind bars. 'Gamebred' finally indulged the query and opened up about how he used to visit his father in the penitentiary as a child.
According to Masvidal, seeing his father's situation opened his eyes to the pitfalls of getting involved in a life of crime. He then thanked his dad for constantly reminding him to stay out of trouble.
Watch Jorge Masvidal's awkward interview with Ariel Helwani:
Jorge Masvidal jokes about possibly getting sent to jail
Jorge Masvidal and his close friend-turned-bitter rival Colby Covington were considered to be the coaches for a season of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter. However, 'Gamebred' said he would have been in jail if he had done the show with Covington.
"Me being a coach on The Ultimate Fighter with Colby was probably never going to happen because I was for sure going to end up in handcuffs," said Masvidal. "You can’t pay me enough money to hear this idiot."