NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 02: Jorge Masvidal celebrates his victory over Nate Diaz (doctor's stoppage) in their welterweight bout for the BMF title during the UFC 244 event at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Dana White agrees to let Jorge Masvidal wrap ‘BMF’ title around winner of UFC 291 main event
When the ‘BMF’ title is on the line later this month in the UFC 291 main event between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, there will be a special guest waiting to award the winner. This past weekend during an interview with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, Jorge Masvidal, the inaugural ‘BMF’ champion was asked if he’d like to wrap the ‘BMF’ title around the winner of the Poirier vs Gaethje matchup, and he said he would be in if UFC President Dana White agreed to it.
Not only did Masvidal agree to wrap the belt around the winner but he also suggested that any and all ‘BMF’ title winners wrap the belt around the new champion, a new tradition to pass along.
Jorge Masvidal asked @MikeBohn to make the pitch, and Dana White accepted.
Masvidal will wrap the "BMF" belt around the Poirier vs. Gaethje winner at #UFC291. pic.twitter.com/17UY5gYfHu
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) July 9, 2023
“It should only be me and me alone. It should be me giving it to the winner of that, and the winner of that giving it to the winner of that, and so on, and that’s the tradition right there. You’re welcome, everybody.”
During his media scrum following UFC 290 this past weekend, Dana White was presented the idea of Masvidal wrapping the title around the winner and he signed off on it with no hesitation.
“That’s pretty cool, sure, yeah, we can do that. Done.”
Jorge Masvidal won the inaugural ‘BMF’ title when he defeated Nate Diaz in a Madison Square Garden showdown at UFC 244 in 2019. Masvidal picked up the win after the doctor stopped the fight heading into the fifth-round due to a cut suffered by Diaz, and when the victory was announced, Hollywood superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, wrapped the ‘BMF’ belt around the waist of “Gamebred”. The title has not been on the line in any other fight since the UFC 244 main event.
As for Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, the winner not only will win the ‘BMF’ title but they also have a chance to find themselves in conversation for a lightweight title fight against champion Islam Makhachev. With top contender Charles Oliveira stating he won’t be ready to compete in October and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski undergoing surgery, there could be an opportunity for either Gaethje or Poirier to get a quick turnaround title fight if one was available in October.
