The End of the Journey
- MMA News Now
- Jul 11, 2020
- 5 min read
By: Joe Unger
Jorge Masvidal’s improbable rise to Superstardom, and where we go next with him
I’ll admit it-I am a Jorge Masvidal Stan. I have been since he beat the holy hell out of KJ Noons in Strikeforce. Here’s another thing to admit-I was convinced that Noons was the next big thing going into that fight. The former boxer who already had wins over Nick Diaz, Connor Heun, and Jorge Gurgel? I was sure that Masvidal was a stepping stone on the way to Noons beating Gilbert Melendez and ascending to the top 10 at 155. All I knew about Jorge at the time was he was in Kimbo’s backyard fights and he had gotten caught with a ridiculous inverted triangle in Bellator. Noons was going to box this guy up at will, in my mind.
I could not have been more wrong.
Masvidal absolutely waltzed through Noons, finishing him with a kick in the first round. In the process, he made me a lifelong fan. I have always loved those fighters that are down for everywhere, every time, and always willing to push their opponents to the limit for the sake of a good fight. Fighters who may never get near a title bout or lose handily if they do, but are constantly underappreciated. Guys like Bart Palazcieski, Tyson Griffin, or Glover Texeira. Fighters who seemingly have hang around forever, and have been competitive not just through different organizations, but different eras of MMA. Perhaps no fighter encapsulates this better than Jorge Masvidal.
This is a guy who is coming into a UFC title fight with 49 pro fights on his resume. A guy who’s record includes a who’s who of unspoken legends in the sport, from Joe Lauzon to Nate Diaz to Yves Edwards over the course of nearly 20 years. Remember BoDog fight? Masvidal was there. The early days of Strikeforce when it was being held at the Playboy Mansion? Yup, Masvidal was on that card. Bellator 1, the very first card when it was just some fledgling promotion and not the #2 org in the United States for hot prospects and aged UFC legends? You better believe Masvidal was there. Jorge Masvidal isn’t just another fighter, or the newest big thing in the UFC.
No matter what, if he never finishes with a real title; Jorge is a part of the history of MMA. Masvidal will always get to say he was right there alongside the rise of Kimbo Slice. He was in that backyard brawling against men 50 pounds heavier, part of a crazy phenomenon that helped push Kimbo and MMA closer to the mainstream.He was part of that aforementioned first Bellator tournament. His 5 second KO of Ben Askren will be remembered for many things; the end of Askren’s hype train, the rise of Cuban Jesus, and the second quickest finish in UFC history (I still maintain that Duane Ludwig finished Jonathan Goulet in 4 seconds, and I’ve talked to Duane about this in person. We know what’s up!). His fight for the BMF belt against Nate Diaz is a huge focal point in the UFC; a spin on the old superfights of yesteryear. Now, Masvidal gets to be half of the first main event of Fight Island, another turning point in the UFC, perhaps the beginning of what it will become in a COVID world. Win or lose, Masvidal is etching another notch on his belt as a part of the history of this crazy sport.
It’s rare to see a fighter accomplish what Jorge has, this meteoric rise so late in his career. I read somewhere once that the average shelf life for an MMA fighter is roughly about 8 years. After that, you can start to see a serious diminishment of chin, speed, and skills. But the man has defied the odds, going on year 17 of an illustrious career and having his best run yet. It’s not like he has played it safe, either. Masvidal has been in all out wars. He’s taken shots from serious KO artists, crazy dagestani wrestlers, faced the best jiu-jitsu practitioners the sport has ever seen, and that’s just his UFC run! Remember Rustam Khabilov’s war against Masvidal? He threw one of the hardest spinning back kicks you’ll ever see, and landed flush on Jorge’s neck. Not only did Masvidal recover, but he came back and kept it competitive, hitting a gorgeous grammy roll and sitout switch towards the end of the fight! From Darren Cruickshank to Stephen Thompson, Masvidal has thrown himself into the fire against some of the hardest hitters in this sport. The punishment that Masvidal has taken should have left his chin shot a long time ago. For a guy that is primarily a boxer, his wrestling should not be this good. As often as Masvidal has allowed BJJ blackbelts and world class wrestlers to take his back, it is an absolute shock he does not have double digit rear naked choke losses on his record. And yet, he persists.
Masvidal defies nearly every convention about MMA and fighting that we know. There is that intangible quality to him; a toughness you cannot teach. Sure, he has incredibly fast hands and sneaky power everywhere, but perhaps the most dangerous thing about Jorge is his swagger. ‘Gamebred’ isn’t just a nickname. It’s the man’s mentality, and he lives by it. It’s why on 6 days notice, Jorge has more than a fighting chance against the best welterweight in the world. Make no mistake, if he pulls this off and wins the belt on Saturday, Masvidal’s current 4 fight win streak will go down as one of the greatest runs of all time. From a journeyman fighter to a self made superstar and UFC champion, it would not be more deserved.
That being said, this isn’t just a tall task in front of him. Masvidal faces a mountain of a challenge. Kamaru Usman, the current 170 pound champ, is an absolute monster in every facet of the game. He has legit Olympic level wrestling, a stinging powerful jab, puts on an insane pace to break other fighters, and might be one of the strongest men to ever compete at Welterweight EVER. Usman has improved with each outing, and I don’t think we’ve seen his peak yet. He has cardio for months, not days, and his power doesn’t seem to go anywhere as fights progress. Masvidal is a fighter that often puts himself in dangerous situations to close the range (See the Darren Till fight for a great example of this) and that may cost him against Usman. Usman is also a cautious fighter, and not likely to let himself get goaded into firefights with Masvidal (although I could be wrong, the two do have a long history of animosity). This is coming from a strong place of personal bias, but I truly believe that Usman could finish his career as the second greatest welterweight of all time behind Georges St. Pierre. But to get to that level, he has to beat Masvidal; a surging contender who’s having his best run, and presents many challenges. Usman is game though, that’s for sure. So despite his current momentum, Masvidal certainly has his work cut out for him this Saturday on fight island. We’ll find out soon enough.
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