Jorge Masvidal of the United States is awarded the belt by Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson after his victory by TKO on a medical stoppage against Nate Diaz of the United States in the Welterweight "BMF" championship bout during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
We take a look at the explosive style of Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal, which was forged on the streets and polished in the gym
In a vast combat journey that has spread over two decades, Jorge Masvidal’s story is an inspiration to many. Coming from a squalid upbringing, Masvidal has built his legacy brick by brick and has emerged into one of the greatest superstars today.
From his humble beginning to now headlining a non-title PPV card, the UFC veteran’s story is a true ode to the term ‘from rags to riches’.
Madvidal’s striking has evolved over the years. He emerged into the scene through his violent street fights, but has transformed into a calm, patient, calculated striker now.
There are several pieces of his style that are impressive. He has great kicks, elbows, but his foundation is based on his boxing. Widely regarded by many as one of the best pure strikers in MMA, Masvidal utilizes a wide array of striking artillery to dismantle his opponents. Although his style is ferocious, it is surprisingly very calculated, and he uses a lot of feints to set it up.
What Masvidal does so effectively is investigating a chink in the opponent’s armor. In the Darren Till fight, Masvidal observed that Till moved away from his right hand every time he faked a flurry of offense, and kept his left chin hanging and exposed. He made the read several times, and when he found the perfect opportunity, he landed a hard switch overhand from the southpaw stance that caught Till by surprise and knocked him out cold. The footwork that set up the punch was just a subtle switch, popularly seen in racquet games. The shuffle allows Masvidal to move just a couple of inches closer and land that fierce shot.
The other instance would be his record-breaking knockout of Ben Askren that made him a household name. Masvidal reconnoitred that Askren tips to the left while shooting, but even after having made that observation, executing it to perfection was another ball game.
Had he made the run slower Askren would have just moved out of the way, or if he would have landed the knee bootlessly Askren would have sprawled and ended up on a single leg or double leg attempt.
What Masvidal also does smoothly is catch incoming kicks, and set up his own range of attacks. This in particular will come handy while facing Colby Covington. His patience is a virtue for him inside fights, and he does it by not investing in fight-ending shots repeatedly, but in fight influencing shots.
Although Masvidal is calm inside a storm, this fight is extremely personal and emotions can get loose. He has to ensure that he approaches the fight with a five-round viewpoint slant, because Covington has superior cardio.
‘Gamebred’ has to open up with body kicks and boxing from range. He has to keep the fight in boxing range and stay away from the fence as much as possible. He utilized his patience against Nate Diaz respecting the fact that Nate does not go away easily, and invested in the body as much as he did on the head. Colby is extremely tough and took a full left hook from Usman and survived. Masvidal has to acknowledge that and try to control his venom shots unless ‘super necessary’.
He also has a good takedown defense of 75%, which has to be on full throttle in this fight. He needs to calculate the timing on Covington’s takedown shot and land an explosive blow [uppercut or flying knee] when he moves in. Masvidal might also want to execute a takedown of his own by catching one of Colby’s patented body kicks and putting him on his back.
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