Watch: When Ariel Helwani made Jorge Masvidal uncomfortable by asking him about his rumored time in prison
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani is known for asking hard-hitting questions that often provoke fighters. When Jorge Masvidal appeared on Ariel Helwani's MMA show ahead of his fight with Nate Diaz, questions about his alleged time in prison seemed to throw 'Gamebred' off.
Watch the interview with Jorge Masvidal below:
Masvidal initially refused to speak about it and insinuated that he was uncomfortable with being asked about the experience. However, the Florida native chose to still speak to Helwani, albeit in a vague manner. 'Gamebred' claimed he went to jail because of mistakes he had committed while growing up. In the same interview, Masvidal later said that the rumors about him doing jail time might not be accurate.
Although he doesn't regret his life choices, Jorge Masvidal claimed that some of his decisions while growing up weren't the best. When Ariel Helwani asked him why he went to jail, Masvidal replied:
"Just being a dumb kid, letting my surroundings, maybe you know a lot of things growing up that weren't the best decisions. Some of them, I don't regret because I was in fear for my life you know and I did certain things. Whatever, it's part of my history, my journey you know? I'm not encouraging nobody to do illegal activities based off my history but it's what I had to go through to get here... those are rumors that I... it might not even be true."
Jorge Masvidal tells Ariel Helwani how seeing his father in jail taught him an important life lesson
Ariel Helwani also asked Jorge Masvidal about his father serving a jail sentence. 'Gamebred' revealed that his father was sentenced to 22 years in jail on account of drug charges. He spent 18 of those years in prison. Masvidal further stated that he used to visit his father in jail from a very young age and realized that he must stay away from illegal activities to shape his life in the way he wanted.
Masvidal recently fought Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title. He was knocked out in the second round of the fight. His next contest is yet to be announced but 'Gamebred' recently expressed interest in a potential showdown against Nick Diaz.