Jorge Masvidal: Inside the Mind of a Real-Life Street Fighter

Born in 1984 and fighting out of Miami, Florida, Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal has been tearing up the MMA scene since 2003 where he has garnered a staggering 35 wins with 16 KO/TKO’s and 2 submissions. He has beaten a litany of elite MMA athletes including Darren “The Gorilla” Till, Nate Diaz, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Jake Ellenberger, and Ross Pearson to name but a few.

He is an MMA veteran whose origins have developed the hard-hitting, fearless, and action-packed fighter we see currently fighting in the UFC’s Welterweight division. The 35-year old American mixed martial artist has competed in Bellator, Strikeforce, Shark Fights, and World Victory Road before being signed to the UFC.

His experience and reputation stands out amongst MMA competitors, probably being best known for his incredible, and fastest knockout in UFC recorded history knocking out former Welterweight contender, Ben Askren, in a world-record, ultra-compact 5 seconds. If you’re looking for more insights about this unusual and unorthodox character, you’re in the right place, without further ado, let’s get into Jorge Masvidal: Inside the Mind of a Real-Life Street Fighter!

Jorge Masvidal, as of 2020 is ranked No.4 in the UFC Welterweight rankings, and up until now has been knocking out contenders who are dealt his signature ‘three piece and a soda’ (meaning, three punches plus a bonus strike).

Lightning Street Fighting Reflexes are Second Nature to Masvidal

Gamebred’s character is a testament to the upbringing he had in Florida. Masvidal did not have an easy life, but nevertheless made the most of what he did have. His Cuban father abandoned him at a young age, leaving him without a father figure and being involved frequently in street fights. He would go up against anyone at any time where weight, reach, and size, did not matter but it was dependent on one sole consideration, ‘Are you willing to fight?’

Masvidal’s Hardcore Work Ethic

His recent Welterweight title shot against Kamaru Usman is a clear indicator of Masvidal’s attitude towards fighting and climbing up the UFC Welterweight hierarchy. He took the fight on an astounding 6-days notice where he would unfortunately lose by unanimous decision, but it bolstered his ‘gangster’ reputation by accepting the bout and following through regardless.

Reputation is Everything

Further to this, his game-driven persona only amplified when he defeated Nate Diaz at UFC 244 for the fan-driven ‘Baddest Motherf****er’ title (BMF). There were no extra benefits for holding the title but the bragging rights for who was the BMF champion was on the line and ‘Gamebred’ gave the East coast warrior some West coast hospitality.

Three Piece and a Soda…

After winning the bout by technical knockout via doctor’s stoppage in-between round 3 and 4, an English-Jamaican Welterweight contender, Leon Edwards, called Masvidal out during his post-fight interview. He was not too impressed by Edwards’ antics landing a few punches -literally in the middle of an interview- after a quick confrontation, coining the phrase ‘three piece and a soda’ through these actions.

Fighting Kimbo Slice’s Protégé & Winning both Bouts

No real money was really involved, it was purely based on Gamebred’s fighting spirit. His street fighting gained fan traction after YouTube videos were posted showing him defeating Kimbo Slice’s protégé “Ray”. See the video above of the raw footage of “Masvidal” in the making, you can see his rough-tough real-world boxing foundations and skills clearly on display.

This is only a fragment of Masvidal’s street fighter journey to becoming a UFC star. At the end of the day, ‘Gamebred’ saw this fight as a stage to not only showcase toughness, but a fighter’s honor.

Masvidal’s Fighting Talent Spread Like Wildfire

However, when it comes to business, it’s all about connections. The reason for this is because his fight with Ray was only set up through a call with Kimbo Slice informing him about the fight on the same day. This simple call ultimately saw Masvidal’s fighting talent and fearlessness spread like wildfire being broadcasted across the internet.

Before this, Masvidal started competing in mutual combat street fights at the tender age of 14 and he would beat and bust up another kid who had pulled a knife on him a few months prior. Moreover, at 18-years old he would defeat Ray and subsequently beat him again the following year.

Accept a Streetfight — Accept the Consequences

Typically these kinds of fights press the legal boundaries and it’s a grey area as to whether these mutual combat street fights should even be allowed to exist (but truly understanding the subject, it’s no surprise they still do)!

However, Masvidal understood and was not concerned with the legalities surrounding street fighting and its unpredictable nature. In his mind, anyone who participates in such fights knows what they are signing up for and are not walking into it blindly.

Remove Security for Greater Odds on Winning

In comparison to a professional bout, ‘Gamebred’ knows your mind is in a different place and is typically more secure when there are doctors and nurses on standby to aid the injured. However, Masvidal never discredits the street-fighting lifestyle of his past as it has molded him into who he is today.

Gamebred, Set & Match: The Scorpionic Drive of a Martial Beast

Having amassed nearly 50 professional MMA bouts, ‘Gamebred’ can never be ignored or underestimated – every single atom of his being bears his scorpionic fighting signature, one that never backs down. (By the way, just in case you were wondering, he actually is a Scorpio -that archetypal, armoured, martial beast- the energy of which has been said to also heavily influence the late, great Bruce Lee, go figure.)

So there we have it folks; an overview of ‘Gamebred’s mindset, what he believes, how he thinks and what he does. Which of his character traits do you find most intriguing, and what’s your fave Jorge Masvidal fight? Which fighter would you like to get ‘Inside the Mind’ of next? Let us know in the comments below; Like, share and join in the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter & Instagram.

Think you’re ‘BRED for the GAME’? Get some tips from our Top 5 MMA series featuring characters such as Benson Henderson, Israel Adesanya, Robbie Lawler, Marlon Vera, Darren Till, T.J. Dillashaw, Francis Ngannou, Holly Holm, Jessica Andrade, Daniel Cormier, A.J. McKee, Jose Aldo, Demian Maia, Cris Cyborg, Thanh Le, Aung La N Sang, Joshua Pacio, Martin Nguyen, Nate Diaz, Amanda Nunes, Edson Barboza, Max Holloway, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson and many more!

RAISE YOUR GAME, step into the FUniverse of these Top 10’s, featured interviews, get your GAME-changing MMA moves ON in KFK Official gear and subscribe for more street-smart fight action intensity on YouTube!)