Magomedov vs. Jorge
Masvidal, with a twist.
Russian quasi-MMA league Hype FC released the news on
Friday that it would be holding an event on March 11 in Rio de
Janeiro. The top of that card will see a submission-only grappling
match between “Shara Bullet” Magomedov against Masvidal, with the
two tangling for five-to-10 minutes at the Farmasi Arena in
Brazil’s second-largest city—Sao Paulo holds the top spot. A
previous big-name grappling bout held by Hype FC between Arman
Tsarukyan and the aforementioned Magomedov resulted in a draw
last year.
Hype FC, the target of at least
one police raid in Moscow due to a myriad of charges ranging
from drug trafficking to fight fixing, has been flagged by Sherdog
Fight Finder for its illegitimacy. While the league purports to run
MMA matches, it does so with modified rules including limited
grappling time with automatic standups/separations. It also put
together a reality show recently in the same vein as “The Ultimate
Fighter” with coaches Arman
Tsarukyan and Khamzat
Chimaev, only with more brawls and confrontations.
Fight for Hype
The organization has not announced any other bouts for the
Rio-based show less than two weeks away, instead focusing on its
MMA-adjacent
fight card in Yerevan, Armenia, at the end of March. Another
submission-only grappling bout between Tsarukyan and Colby
Covington was linked to this event, but its mention has been
removed from the Hype FC social media and only remains on the
ticket-selling site. It is expected that some Pop MMA and
bare-knuckle matches will be sprinkled across the billing.
The 41-year-old Masvidal retired from MMA in 2023 after a decision
loss to Gilbert
Burns, stretching his three-year losing streak to four in a
row. He returned to combat sports the following year, facing
Nate
Diaz in a boxing match where he fell short by majority
decision. “Gamebred” floated his return to MMA, targeting the
oft-discussed UFC White House event for June, but no plans have
materialized as of yet. The former backyard brawler with two
submission victories across his 35 pro wins will be competing in a
professional grappling match for the first time, one that will end
in a draw should no one land a submission.
Magomedov made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut after
Masvidal hung up his gloves, and he went on to win his first four
outings with the Las Vegas-based promotion. He lost for the first
time against Michael
Page in February 2025, and bounced back with a triumph on the
scorecards over Marc-Andre
Barriault five-plus months later.