A look at the 5 best Jorge Masvidal performances in the UFC, in the wake of his retirement after his loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287.
In his illustrious UFC career, Masvidal had more than a dozen UFC fights. He won the symbolic BMF title once and is a former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger. Here are his 5 best performances in the UFC.
5. Jorge Masvidal vs Donald Cerrone
In 2017, Masvidal fought Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in a mouth-watering contest. Right from the word go, ‘Gamebred’ was on his A-game, picking apart Cerrone with his quick and stinging boxing combinations. Seconds before the end of the first round, Masvidal dropped Cerrone, who was saved by the bell.
In the second round, Masvidal upped the ante, landing shots with swagger. A minute into the first round, Masvidal caught Cerrone with a quick one-two and dropped him again. This time around, he had ample time to follow his opponent to the mat and land vicious ground and pound. Within a few seconds, the referee stepped in and waved off the fight.
4. Jorge Masvidal vs Michael Chiesa
After a successful start to his UFC career against Tim Means, Masvidal added another fighter to his list of vanquished foes. In 2013, Masvidal faced Michael Chiesa, who was undefeated at that time and was heading into the fight with six straight submission wins.
Chiesa was considered a nightmare matchup for Masvidal due to his grappling-heavy style. However, Masvidal surprised everyone by bullying him on the feet. The Miami native stuffed most of Chiesa’s takedown for the most part of their fight which lasted 10 minutes. Masvidal then added insult to injury by submitting Chiesa a second before the end of the second round with a Brabo choke.
3. Jorge Masvidal vs Darren Till
After losing twice to Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson in 2017, Masvidal returned to the cage to face Darren Till at UFC London in 2019. Till was favored to win the fight, and he had a solid first round, where the Brit dropped Masvidal with a big left hook. However, Masvidal managed to survive.
In the second round, Masvidal upped the ante and started landing his shots with more fluidity. Three minutes into the second round, Masvidal returned the favour by cracking Till’s chin with a venomous left hook that sent ‘The Gorilla’ packing.
2. Nate Diaz
With two huge wins against Till and Ben Askren, Masvidal became a star overnight when he battered Nate Diaz to win the BMF title at UFC 244. The fight was a mismatch from the start. Masvidal was the better striker throughout, as he punished Diaz with sweet boxing combinations and crushing body kicks. Diaz was bruised and battered by the end of the third round.
Ultimately, Masvidal was awarded the win by a doctor’s stoppage.
1. Ben Askren
Ben Askren brought the best out of Masvidal when the two fought at UFC 239. The build-up to their fight was intense. Thanks to his ruthless trash-talking, Askren managed to get under Masvidal’s skin, but he paid a hefty price for it when the cage door closed.
As soon as the referee signaled the start of the fight, Masvidal took a few steps forward, then charged at Askren and landed a thunderous flying knee that ended the fight in just five seconds.
