Jorge Masvidal hasn’t actively fought in MMA in close to three years’ time, although his is a name that’s been thrown around for a potential opponent in Conor McGregor’s rumored comeback fight on the UFC White House card on June 13 in Washington, DC. Masvidal was, like many fans the world over, watching last weekend’s UFC 324.

If, by chance, you missed the card and its main attraction inside T-Mobile Arena in Enterprise, NV, No. 4 contender Justin Gaethje (27-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) bested No. 5 contender Paddy Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) by way of unanimous decision after 25 minutes of action. Gaethje took the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship in the process.

While the UFC hasn’t announced a concrete date for the UFC Lightweight Championship unification battle between now-interim titleholder Justin Gaethje and permanent champion Ilia Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), Jorge Masvidal has already offered a take on the eventual showdown. This week, he took to the world of podcasts to deliver his opinion.

Jorge Masvidal Thinks Pimblett Would Have Been Exposed vs. Topuria

During the latest edition of Masvidal’s own Death Row MMA podcast, he discussed the contest from last weekend and how fortunate Paddy Pimblett is to have been spared from a fight against Ilia Topuria.

“Now, it’s a good thing that Paddy also didn’t win,” Jorge Masvidal began, “because if he did, he was going to get torched by Ilia [Topuria.] During the fight on Saturday night, the takedown category told the story of the winner and loser of this this fight.

In the five-round affair, Paddy Pimblett went 0-for-5 on takedown attempts. On the other side of the coin, Justin Gaethje successfully converted on all three of his efforts to bring Paddy Pimblett to the mat.

Jorge Masvidal Predicts Even Tougher Test for Justin Gaethje

While Justin Gaethje managed to neutralize Paddy Pimblett over the 25 minutes of action last Saturday night, the road is only expected to get more bumptious for the interim champion when he and Ilia Topuria eventually do face off. Masvidal didn’t hold back in his comments regarding Gaethje.

“I think Gaethje just retires and rides off into the sunset, because he [doesn’t] want to see Ilia,” he said. “I think both these guys are just, like, levels below Ilia and that fight really showed it all, on the wrestling, on the striking, on the defense, on the offense, I think Ilia is on a whole other planet when it comes to these guys.”

According to Masvidal, Justin Gaethje may not have much of a chance to defeat Ilia Topuria.

“Hopefully, they give him Justin Gaethje so [that] he can get another guy and do him like a lawn chair,” Jorge Masvidal said. “He’s going to fold him.”

Masvidal’s Comments Continued

From there, Masvidal mentioned how Ilia Topuria’s skill level could yield to Justin Gaethje’s downfall in the eventual contest between the two of them.

“Ilia’s at another speed, another type of athlete,” he mused, “and Gaethje always had the same mistakes he’s always made on the stand-up. He’s still making them, when he’s lunging, getting hit with those rights. Ilia does the same thing.”

At this point, Jorge Masvidal made a bold declaration as to how he sees the fight playing out on that particular Saturday night in the future.

“He’s going to cancel his career on the spot,” he said.

Final Thoughts

While Jorge Masvidal ended his comments on Justin Gaethje’s eventual bid to unify the UFC Lightweight Championship ending on a sour note with a Topuria stoppage inside the opening round, they’re just that: comments. At the end of the day, fighters and fans alike can predict and pontificate on upcoming fights in marathon fashion.

The predictions and comments that are to come between now and the night of the unification fight are certain to rival the non-stop conjecture that awaits NFL fans between now and kickoff of Super Bowl LX on the evening of Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, CA. You can dissect the New England Patriots vs. the Seattle Seahawks to your heart’s content in the next week and a half.

No one will stop you or limit you. Jorge Masvidal can revisit the topic of the unification fight as much as he wants until the night of the contest. No one will stop and limit him.

The salient point to take away from all of this is a simple one: At the core, predictions and forecasts for how a major sporting event, such as the Super Bowl or this fight, carry little weight once the event is about to happen. What matters most is what actually takes place.