UFC 251 breakdown: Short notice for Jorge Masvidal, but can he deliver again?

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC 251 main event between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal.

Point of interest: Wrestling wrath

Kamaru Usman vs. Tyron Woodley

Considering the clear path that the champion’s style and strength afford him, it will be interesting to see when Usman looks to take Masvidal down.

Thankfully for Usman, getting Masvidal to his preferred place of attack along the fence hasn’t traditionally been the most difficult thing to do – though I’d argue that out-wrestling the Cuban is an ask that’s harder than meets the eye.

For those who have not been following Masvidal’s career for the past decade or so, you may be surprised to find out that the first thing the former street fighter started to sharpen in MMA was his wrestling chops. A longtime member of American Top Team, Masvidal has had all the appropriate guidance and training partners, as his techniques have quietly translated to the cage for some time.

Not only has Masvidal maintained consistent standings in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions for takedown defense ratings, but he also applies the fine detail in small spaces that often go unnoticed.

From the savviness of Masvidal’s hips to his intuition of when and how to circle out, you can see why he receives unanimous praise from those in the know. Even when taken down, Masvidal has a persistent pop to his get-up game, cleverly using the cage or defensively circling to avoid getting his back compromised.

More importantly, Masvidal has shown an ingrained, near-effortless technical savvy in the way in which he flows from defending submissions to countering wrestling positions, smoothly striking off of separations without a second thought. The BMF belt holder is also underrated from the front-headlock position, but I fear that Usman’s takedown entries and suffocating style could shut down a lot of those threats.

As referenced earlier, Usman prefers to get a lot of his wrestling done off of the fence via corralling and clinching efforts. Once establishing his office in this space, the champ wastes little time in going to work.

Wrestling at a Division II level for three years (where he was also a two-time national finalist), Usman has always shown the freakish ability to both finish and defend shots from sometimes surprising positions. Coupled with his work ethic and determination, Usman was able to over-perform in a multitude of ways, especially considering that he didn’t even start wrestling until mid-way through high school.

After helping high-level fighters with their own wrestling, Usman ended up making the jump into mixed martial arts, where he has steadily built onto his imposing wrestling game and presence. Whether he is hitting takedowns in the open or chaining his attempts along the fence, Usman has, for the most part, been able to do what he wants to wrestling-wise inside of the octagon.

Freakish takedown ability aside, Usman also bears an impressive intelligence in transition that could help aid him in his matchup.

Demonstrating excellent positional awareness, Usman always seems to make high-percentage choices whether he is passing or punching. Using suffocating wrestling rides that stymie everything from posts to submission attempts, Usman will seamlessly hit his transitions while steaming his opposition underneath him.

However, given Masvidal’s underrated wrestling savvy, Usman will not be able to afford to sleep on the scrambling and striking off the breaks that the title challenger brings to the table.

Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction

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