Jorge Masvidal
It’s about time people hopped onto the [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] train. Growing up street fighting in Kimbo Slice’s backyard, Masvidal has been known to never back down from a fight. He’s fought the who’s who in the sport across various major organizations but finally got his big break in 2019.
The former Strikeforce lightweight title challenger Masvidal, joined the UFC roster in 2013, winning five of his first six fights. He was then edged out by Al Iaquinta in a controversial split decision loss, that would spell a common theme in his upcoming losses.
He moved up to welterweight, bouncing back with a knockout win over Cezar Ferreira. But then Masvidal dropped two straight to Benson Henderson and Lorez Larkin, both by the way of split decision. He notched three straight wins after that, most notably stopping Donald Cerrone’s run at 170 pounds, which earned him a title eliminator bout against Demian Maia.
But the nightmare would continue, with Masvidal losing out to Maia yet again via split decision, which started to define Masvidal’s career, the fighter that would fall just short.
Rejuvenated after an appearance in a reality show, Masvidal returned after a year and a half, to take on Darren Till in enemy territory, kickstarting an incredible 2019. Masvidal silenced the O2 Arena with a knockout over Till, which set him up with a matchup vs. the undefeated Ben Askren at UFC 239.
With questions if Masvidal could handle Askren’s wrestling, Masvidal shut the naysayers up in a record five seconds, throwing a flying knee knockout for the ages. He closed out the year taking on Nate Diaz for the “BMF” title, in a matchup pitting two of the baddest fighters on the roster. Masvidal was putting on a striking masterclass, but the doctor intervened and stopped the fight due to a big gash on Diaz’s eye, awarding him the TKO win.
With rumors swirling that Masvidal will face champion Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title in the summer, it will remarkably be his first shot at UFC gold.
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