‘He’s ready for this fight’: MMA star Jorge Masvidal backs Gene Valentino in CD 1 race

Former Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino is now running for Congress with boxer, promoter and mixed martial arts star Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal in his corner.

Masvidal, a Miami native who holds the UFC record for fastest knockout, said that of 16 candidates who qualified this month to run to replace Matt Gaetz in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, Valentino “has the determination, grit, and heart” the district needs.

“As someone who’s spent my life in the cage, fighting for what I believe in and giving it my all, I know what it takes to stand up and win battles that matter. That’s why I’m proud to endorse Gene Valentino for Congress,” Masvidal said in a prepared statement.

“Just like in MMA, the political game is about standing strong, defending what matters, and coming out on top. Gene has proven that he’s ready for this fight — he’s got the people’s back, and he’s not tapping out anytime soon.”

Valentino called the endorsement “an honor” and Masvidal “a true warrior both in and out of the cage.”

“Jorge knows what it takes to win tough fights, and his backing of my campaign means we have people from all walks of life rallying behind my campaign,” Valentino said in a prepared statement. “I stand determined to take this fighting spirit all the way to Washington, where we’ll defend and protect our Northwest Florida families from out-of-touch elites.”

It’s hardly the first time Masvidal, a veteran pugilist and the inaugural BMF titleholder, has weighed in on Florida politics. In 2020, the Cuban American launched a “fighters against socialism” bus tour with Donald Trump Jr. and stumped for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign later that year with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

Masvidal then backed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ re-election bid in 2022, appearing as the marquee guest at a March event in Miami.

At the time, Masvidal faced felony charges stemming from an altercation with former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington outside the Papi Steak restaurant in Miami Beach. He pleaded no contest in November 2023 to a misdemeanor battery charge over the incident, receiving a conviction on his record with credit for time served.

Nine other Republicans are running for the CD 1 seat: former fighter pilot Aaron Dimmock, former prosecutor Kevin Gaffney, Jeff Macey of Fort Walton Beach, former Florida House candidate Greg Merk, retired Navy pilot John Mills, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, political operative Jeff Peacock, state Rep. Joel Rudman and former Yale Federalist Society Vice President Michael Dylan Thompson.

Patronis enjoys support from Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump’s incoming Border Czar, Tom Homan, who rescinded a prior endorsement of Valentino.

Democratic gun safety activist Gay Valimont, who challenged Gaetz in the past General Election, is also running. So is Stephen Brody of the Constitution Party and write-in candidates Richard Paul Dembinsky, Stanley Gray, Jonathan Green and Stan McDaniels.

CD 1 covers Florida’s western Panhandle, spanning all of Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties and part of Walton County. It’s the most Republican-leaning district in the state, according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index.

The GOP Primary for CD 1 is on Jan. 28, followed by a Special General Election on April 1.