After his unanimous decision defeat to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 earlier this month, Jorge Masvidal announced his retirement from MMA competition. However, he hasn’t really left the combat sports scene altogether.
Recently, Masvidal announced the heavyweight headliner for his next Gamebred FC bare-knuckle MMA event. It will take place on May 5, 2023.
The match will feature the debut of the 46-year-old Roy Nelson in bare-knuckle, who will face off against Dillon Cleckler. The event is set to take place at the FLA Live Arena and will be the first-ever sanctioned bare-knuckle event in Florida’s history.
Masvidal made a post on Instagram, stating: “Let’s get it, baby. Your boy’s back — to promoting that is. I bring you South Florida and all of Florida the first ever bare-knuckle event sanctioned. MMA with no gloves, first time in Florida history at the FLA Live Arena.”
“We got Dillon Cleckler, 10-0 as an amateur with 10 knockouts, 11-1 as a pro with 10 knockouts vs. a man that needs no introduction. 19 finishes, 16 coming by way of knockout, TUF winner — this guys does everything big — ‘Big Country’ Roy Nelson.”
He concluded by saying: “Don’t miss out, Cinco De Mayo to kick off Formula 1 weekend, let’s go Panthers.”
Roy Nelson is a well-known name in the MMA industry. He had an eight-year run with UFC. After his departure from UFC in 2017, Nelson signed with Bellator where he competed six times, finishing with a 1-5 record. Nelson’s last match was in August 2020, where he lost a unanimous decision to Valentin Modavsky.
On the other hand, Dillon Cleckler is a rising star in the bare-knuckle boxing scene. He most recently earned a big first-round bare-knuckle boxing knockout win over Josh Burns at Gamebred Boxing 4 on April 1, 2023. Before the victory, Cleckler had competed in four matches of bare-knuckle boxing.