Jorge Masvidal is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Jorge Masvidal is a fighter who has made a name for himself in the UFC. But his story begins long before he ever stepped into the octagon. He became known due to his street-fighting background and eventual transition to MMA. He competed in Bellator, Strikeforce, Shark Fights, World Victory Road, and of course, the UFC.
The Early Days
Jorge Masvidal was born on November 12, 1984, in Miami, Florida. He was raised in a Cuban-American household. Jorge’s father was imprisoned when he was just a child, and his mother had to work hard to support the family. Jorge began his fighting career on the streets of Miami, where h more often than not defeated his rivals. One of the most know opponents he has defeated was one of Kimbo Slice’s protégés, Ray. The fight is cemented in the internet history books, and you can find it easily on Youtube. Masvidal also competed in wrestling during high school; however, he eventually stopped due to his bad grades.
Masvidal’s MMA Career
Masvidal made his professional MMA debut on May 24, 2003, at HOOKnSHOOT: Absolute Fighting Championships 3, where he knocked out Joe Lauzon, who he defeated via TKO in the second round. Masvidal garnered a 3–0 record before being signed with Bellator in 2009.
Masvidal won his first fight of the Bellator tournament via first-round TKO. However, he was defeated in the semifinals by Toby Imada via an inverted triangle choke. His next fight was against Eric Reynolds at Bellator 12, who he defeated via rear-naked choke. This was his last fight at Bellator.
Masvidal signed with Strikeforce in 2011, where he won his first two fights via decision which gave him the opportunity to fight for the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship. On December 17, 2011, Masvidal lost the fight to Gilbert Melendez via unanimous decision. On July 14, 2012, Masvidal fought Justin Wilcox, who he defeated via split decision.
Masvidal Enters The UFC
Like many other fighters, Masvidal was brought to the UFC when Strikeforce was bought by the UFC in January of 2013. Masvidal had his UFC debut against Tim Means on April 20, 2013, who he defeated via unanimous decision. Masvidal won his second UFC fight against Michael Chiesa via second-round submission. From the end of 2013 to 2019, Masvidal added seven wins and six losses to his record before a 16-month-long layoff from fighting.
Rise To Stardom
During 2019, Jorge Masvidal emerged as one of the biggest stars in the UFC. “Gamebred” opened the most successful year of his career by knocking out Darren Till in London, followed by a victory that sent him sky-high.
At the UFC 239 event, Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren with a “flying knee” after only five seconds of the fight and entered the history books of the UFC. It was the fastest knockout in the promotion’s history, and Masvidal’s popularity skyrocketed. A match for the “BMF (Baddest Motherfucker)” belt against Nate Diaz followed, and Jorge finished a great 2019 strong by defeating Diaz by stoppage (technical knockout).
Beef With Colby
All this led him to two title matches, but on both occasions, he was defeated by Kamaru Usman. A match against Colby Covington followed, but it was the third consecutive defeat for “Gamebred.” What made things more interesting is that Covington and Masvidal were once friends, roommates, and teammates on American Top Team. However, the relationship simply broke down at one point, and since then, tensions have been continuously growing.
However, Masvidal’s star status was somewhat tarnished by this, and the fact that he attacked Colby Covington on the streets of Miami and is awaiting trial and punishment for that act does not help him either.
However, the impression is that Jorge used his status very well and probably paid very well during that period when he was one of the promotion’s protective faces. It was started by Masvidal, and he called his promotion Gamebred Fighting Championship; the fighters in his promotion were partially paid in cryptocurrencies, more precisely in Bitcoin.
