If there was an MMA Man of the Year award it would have to go to Jorge Masvidal. ‘Gamebred’ is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet right now. He knocked out Darren Till and Ben Askren in style, before winning the BMF belt against Nate Diaz. The Askren knockout is definitely the KO of the year.
After beating Diaz, the big question is what’s next for Masvidal. Will he fight the winner of the upcoming 170lb championship clash between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington? Or is he more interested in a money fight against someone like Conor McGregor?
One man he definitely doesn’t like is Covington. The two used to be training partners at American Top Team in Florida. But that’s in the past now. ‘Chaos’ breached his trust and now Masvidal has no time for him.
Trauma
Masvidal was very scathing in his assessment of Covington’s pull power. In short, he doesn’t believe that ‘Chaos’ has any by himself. Unless he creates toxic rivalries there’s no public appeal. ‘Gamebred’ keeps it real so he has no time for this behaviour.
“He can’t generate attention by himself so he has to mention your name, this guy’s name, that guy’s name, ‘all these guys are on steroids,’ there’s no proof, no validation to what he’s saying,” Masvidal said of Covington. “That’s just the type of person he is so once he opened his mouth, I’m not going to keep mine shut.
“The guy has his wires crossed, especially when it comes to me. He got to train with me a little bit so you can imagine the trauma I put him through.”
Stoppage
The Cuban-American also made it clear that he’s the biggest draw in the welterweight division. Right now – Conor McGregor aside – he’s probably right. No other true 170lber commands the same excitement as he does. Usman and Covington are excellent fighters. They’re both relentless wrestlers with immense cardio, but they’ve failed to connect with fans. That’s because of both their styles and personalities.
“I got into this sport to separate myself from the pack and beat the crap out of guys,” he said. “Those guys don’t do it. What I did this year, I got three stoppages. They haven’t done that their whole career. This is math speaking, this is not opinion. You can look it up. What I’ve done this year, they haven’t done their whole careers.”
Options
If Conor McGregor gets past Donald Cerrone in February then things could be about to get very interesting for Masvidal. Many fans believe that the Irishman took the fight at welterweight as a test for a clash with ‘Gamebred.’ It would be fascinating to see how that goes down if it’s true.
However, Masvidal is inarguably next in line for a title shot if he wants it. Of course, there’s nothing like taking on a wrestler to tarnish your star power so he might not want that fight. But if it is against Covington then there’s a definite narrative to be played on.
