MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The father of former UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal bonded out of jail Friday after his arrest on attempted second-degree murder charges. Jorge Masvidal Sr. is accused of a shooting during a verbal altercation on Thursday at the home of his mixed martial artist son.
As he left the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Friday afternoon, Masvidal Sr. said he didn’t know why he was arrested, that he was just in the home with friends, and didn’t know anything about a shooting.
The victim, Luis Leoncini, told Miami-Dade police that Masvidal, 67, shot him in both arms after a fight inside the kitchen of the home.
The six-bedroom home off Southwest 118th Ave. is in the Horse Country neighborhood of southwest Miami-Dade’s Kendale Lakes area. Masvidal Sr.’s address on the arrest report matches the home address of UFC fighter.
According to Miami-Dade Police, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived at the home to find a man with gunshot wounds.
A search warrant of the home turned up a .38 caliber revolver inside a kitchen cabinet.
A Local 10 News photojournalist spotted 38-year-old Masvidal Jr. arriving at the property as police investigated on Thursday. Detectives investigated into the night before eventually booking Masvidal Sr. into jail just after 1 a.m. on Friday.
Masvidal Sr., who immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1971, was arrested on federal drug charges in 1989 and sent to prison, where he would remain for the next 18 years, according to ESPN. In an interview with ESPN, Masvidal Jr. says he remembers as a youngster visiting his father in prison.
Officers confirmed that the retired fighter was not in the home at the time of the altercation.
“We’re grateful that no one else was shot during this incident. It could have easily been worse,” said Chris Thomas, a detective with the Miami-Dade Police department.
Family members at the home during the shooting told police that Masvidal Sr. and the victim are acquaintances and have familial ties.
Masvidal Sr. was transported to the Kendall District Station for questioning, according to police. He was charged and transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center early Friday morning. His bond was set at $10,000.
We asked Masvidal Sr. if his son knew he was getting out of jail on Friday. He responded that it was his son who bailed him out, but the elder Masvidal left the facility alone.
The shooting victim was at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.