Former UFC Fighter Jorge Masvidal to Enter Florida Politics, Looks to Knockout Child Sex Trafficking With Death Penalty

MIAMI—Former UFC Fighter Jorge Masvidal enjoyed a widely successful 20-year career in mixed martial arts (MMA), but his next fight might bring the biggest challenge in his life.

Jorge Masvidal, 40, is putting down his MMA gloves for now and exploring a run at the Florida State Senate. A Cuban American born in Miami, Masividal is hoping to run in Senate District 39, a Hialeah area district currently represented by Sen. Bryan Avila (R).

In particular, Masvidal is looking to grapple against child sex trafficking, an issue he says is plaguing the streets of his city and all across Florida.

"The only reason why I'm so committed to this is because I have been noticing for a long time in my city we have a massive problem," Masvidal said to The Floridian. "It's such a big problem that you can't refute it, you can't say it is not happening. People try to turn a blind eye to it, whoever it is, but there's numbers, there's facts, there's statistics that show that it's a problem."

Similar to his illustrious career, Masvidal is now looking to quickly knock out child sex trafficking, including "putting the sleep" perpetrators of the crime with the death penalty.

"I would 100% back the death penalty for child sex trafficking for trafficking of minors even if its not to exploit them for sexual crimes but a lot of workshops that are set up throughout the state. Any of that stuff for me would be grounds for murder," Masvidal said.

Masvidal said he wanted to send a "clear message" to criminals, adding they were playing with their lives and that it could be the "last dollar" they ever would make if they were to be caught.

He also indicated back home that South Florida is ranked No. 2 for child sex trafficking, just behind Orlando, adding the problem was bigger locally than towns along the U.S-Mexico border, which is often considered a hot spot for human trafficking.

"Something has to be done. Something has to be done at the state level, federal level, and local level. It's something that I've been praying on a lot. If this individual [Avila] steps down, it is something that is very concerning because this is the only way I can bring change to my community in that one area," Masvidal said.

Masvidal competed professionally in the UFC  from 2003-2023. Over that time, he amassed a 35-17 record in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions and won the symbolic UFC "BMF" Championship title over Nate Diaz in 2019.

However, he might be best known for his 5-second knockout of Ben Askren at UFC 239 in 2019. Masvidal finished Askren with a flying knee, leaving him motionless in what is the fastest knockout in UFC history.

Masvidal first became known for his street fighting after competing in backyard brawls in Miami-Dade promoted by bare-knuckle fighter Kimbo Slice, which subsequently went viral.

He announced his retirement from UFC after losing to Gilbert Burns via unanimous decision for his fourth consecutive loss at UFC 287 in Miami. A longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, Masvidal led a "Let's Go Brandon" chant, a phrase then considered as a diss at President Joe Biden, after the fight.

With his gloves off, for now, Masvidal will now look to make that change in Tallahassee.

Along with fighting child sex trafficking, Masvidal vowed to fight against illegal immigration. He also told The Floridian he would follow Donald Trump's lead on the issue.

"I don't feel that the right leaders are taking charge against this evil. We have to run a crusade against these tyrants. This is a billion-dollar industry just in Florida alone. To bring an end to this it's going to take a team of smart, educated individuals who know how to deal with this evil to bring it to an end. The alarming rate of kids getting snatched out of Florida is crazy," Masvidal said.

WATCH THE VIDEO