Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
Jorge Masvidal has been a fixture on the mixed martial arts scene for more than a decade and will draw his latest main event assignment in the Ultimate Fighting Championship when he meets Darren Till in the UFC Fight Night 147 headliner on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London.
“Gamebred” finds himself on the rebound following consecutive defeats to Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia, his position in the welterweight division having grown somewhat precarious. Masvidal, 34, last competed at UFC 217 on Nov. 4, 2017, when he lost a unanimous decision to the aforementioned Thompson at Madison Square Garden in New York. He has compiled a 9-6 record since joining the UFC roster a little less than six years ago.
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As Masvidal prepares for his showdown with Till, here are five things you might not know about him:
1. He debuted as a teenager.
Masvidal first appeared in MMA at a HOOKnSHOOT event on May 24, 2003, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he knocked out Brandon Bledsoe 3:55 into the first round. He was 19 years old at the time.
2. Durability has been a hallmark.
Ten of his 13 professional losses have come by decision. Only Toby Imada, Rodrigo Damm, and Paul Rodriguez have managed to finish Masvidal during his 45-fight career. Imada was the last man to do the honors in 2009, when he submitted “Gamebred” with an inverted triangle choke under the Bellator MMA banner.
3. He has surrounded himself with the right people.
Masvidal operates out of the powerhouse American Top Team camp in Coconut Creek, Florida, where he has trained alongside some of the most accomplished fighters in the sport, including Dustin Poirier, Amanda Nunes, Kyoji Horiguchi, Yoel Romero, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
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4. He has been a model of consistency.
While he will enter the cage on a two-fight losing streak, Masvidal has never lost three fights in a row. Meanwhile, he has had six different winning streaks of three fights or more.
5. MMA has allowed him to see the world.
Masvidal has competed in five different countries as a professional mixed martial artist: United States, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Costa Rica. England will be the sixth.
