Jorge Masvidal: the five-second knockout and the BMF belt | Ultimate Fighter Reunion

Why fans still care

JORGE MASVIDAL was a journeyman for years and then, in his mid-thirties, one of the biggest names in the sport. In 2019 he knocked out Darren Till and Ben Askren and beat Nate Diaz at Madison Square Garden. He never won a UFC title, and that is part of why people liked him. He did it the long way.

Early life

He was born on 12 November 1984 and calls Miami home. He started training at 14 “because I liked to fight; it just came naturally for me,” he told UFC.com. In the mid-2000s he fought in backyard bouts in the circle around Kimbo Slice, Who’s Who number 12, and beat Kimbo’s protégé “Ray” twice. He never fought Kimbo himself.

Getting started

His professional debut came on 24 May 2003 at Absolute Fighting Championships 3, a first-round knockout of Brandon Bledsoe. In 2005 he stopped Joe Lauzon at AFC 12. Over the next few years he fought for BodogFIGHT and Strikeforce in the US and for Sengoku in Japan, and in 2009 he reached the semifinal of Bellator’s first lightweight tournament. ESPN notes he fought in Japan, Russia and Costa Rica before the UFC. On 17 December 2011 in San Diego he challenged Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce lightweight title and lost a five-round decision.

Career chapters

1. 2003Professional debut in Florida
2. 2011Strikeforce lightweight title fight against Gilbert Melendez
3. 2013Joins the UFC
4. 2017Stops Donald Cerrone in Denver
5. 2019Knocks out Darren Till and Ben Askren, beats Nate Diaz for the BMF belt
6. 2020 and 2021Two UFC welterweight title fights against Kamaru Usman
7. 2023Retires in the cage in Miami
8. 2024Loses a boxing rematch to Nate Diaz

The UFC years 2013 to 2018

He joined the UFC in 2013 and went 6-4 in his first ten UFC fights. He moved from lightweight to welterweight, and on 28 January 2017 in Denver he stopped Donald Cerrone in the second round for a Performance of the Night bonus. Two decision losses followed that year, to Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson, and he spent about 17 months out of the cage.

2019

He came back on 16 March 2019 at the O2 Arena in London and knocked out Darren Till in the second round, earning Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night. On 6 July at UFC 239 in Las Vegas he ran across the cage and caught Ben Askren with a flying knee as Askren went for a takedown. It was over in five seconds, the fastest knockout in UFC history. He said Askren “walked right into it”. Dana White said the knee “changed his life”.

On 2 November at UFC 244, the UFC’s 500th live event, he met Nate Diaz at Madison Square Garden for the BMF belt. He dropped Diaz once in each of the first two rounds and outlanded him 112 to 43 in significant strikes. The ringside doctor stopped the fight after the third round because of a cut above Diaz’s right eye. Dwayne Johnson put the belt on him.

Title fights and retirement 2020 to 2023

On 11 July 2020 at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi he took a welterweight title fight with Kamaru Usman on six days’ notice, replacing Gilbert Burns, and lost a unanimous decision. In the rematch at UFC 261 in Jacksonville on 24 April 2021, Usman knocked him out in the second round. “He’s got my number,” he said afterwards. In March 2022 he lost a decision to Colby Covington at UFC 272, a fight that won Fight of the Night. On 8 April 2023 at UFC 287 in Miami he lost a decision to Gilbert Burns, his fourth loss in a row, and retired in the cage. “Sometimes your favorite basketball player don’t have that 3-pointer no more,” he told ESPN.

After the UFC

In 2021 he launched Gamebred Fighting Championship, a bare-knuckle MMA promotion, with its first event on 18 June 2021 in Biloxi, Mississippi. On 6 July 2024 in Anaheim he boxed Nate Diaz in a rematch and lost a majority decision. “We can do it again, we’re 1-1,” he said.

Style, technique and the corner

How he fights

His striking is built on a muay Thai base, according to Sherdog’s Film Room: upright, with a bouncing lead foot, winning on timing, baiting and sound fundamentals. The jab is the base of it all, and UFC.com lists it as his favourite technique. He throws a lot of round kicks to the body, set up by the jab or a feint. Sherdog singles out one counter: he slaps away a kick and comes back with the right, as he did against Cerrone. He usually fights orthodox, but switched to southpaw to finish Till with the left hand.

Teams and gyms

In his UFC years he trained at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. Coach Mike Brown was a key member of his corner and backed his return to training in 2024.

Stories people still tell

1. Five seconds.

   The Askren knee broke the UFC record for the fastest knockout, previously six seconds.

2. The BMF belt.

   A one-off belt made for UFC 244, put on him by Dwayne Johnson at Madison Square Garden.

3. Six days’ notice.

   He took his first UFC title fight, against Usman on Fight Island, with less than a week to prepare.

Legacy

He holds the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history and won the one-off BMF belt at Madison Square Garden. He fought 52 professional MMA bouts over 20 years and became a headliner late in his career.