The Takedown | UFC: Jorge Masvidal is trash-talking like a legend, but he’s a journeyman milking his 15 minutes of fame

It’s tough to get behind any of the UFC’s superstars these days. Jon Jones, supposedly reformed party boy, recently pleaded no contest to an incident in a New Mexico strip club where he allegedly put a waitress in a headlock, among other things. Add this to a rap sheet that rolls out like toilet paper, and you have a tough case to make for wagon hopping. Squandering God-given talent like Jones has done over the years so he can indulge in extra curricular activities is not only sacrilegious in the world of MMA, but excruciating knowing how much better of a fighter he could have been if he had kept his nose out of trouble. He washed away more than a few years, which could have been utilised cementing his legacy as the greatest MMA fighter of all-time. Alas he has been playing clean-up, a 32-year-old still light years ahead of his competitors, but quickly realising his moment in the sun is about to set. His career, as legendary as it will be remembered, will always have an asterisk beside it when devout fans go back and pour over his legacy. Current UFC lightweight kingpin Khabib Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, has the personality of an Ikea desk lamp, and seems less than interested in actually being a UFC star or even an ambassador. The Russian is a vicious beast in the ring and a devoutly religious Muslim, but has shown on multiple occasions he is easily baited into the meathead mentality and out-of-the-Octagon scuffles that plague many fighters. And then there’s Conor McGregor, what more can we say? Getting convicted for punching an elderly man for refusing a shot of his branded whiskey basically sums up the Irish loudmouth perfectly. A rags to riches scrapper who is tougher to like than a hug from a cactus. McGregor hasn’t fought since October of 2018 on top of all this, and at 31, probably has one or two more fights before he should be put out to pasture for good. But all these fighters have resumes that are undeniably amazing. Jones appears invincible even in his 30s. Khabib is the reigning lightweight champion, having dispatched McGregor at UFC 229 before beating Dustin Poirier this September in similarly convincing fashion. He is unbeaten for a reason, he is tough as nails and has the credentials to back it up. McGregor, while in his prime, beat some of the most skilled fighters of the day including Eddie Alvarez, Jose Aldo and Poirier. So, while it’s tough to like any of these three guys personally, professionally you can’t argue with what they have accomplished in the octagon. Right now the UFC is having issues filling the void when it comes to superstars. While Jones, Khabib and McGregor are all expected to make their way into tilts soon enough, none of them have a confirmed fight to speak about. Israel Adesanya, the middleweight champion, has thrown his hat into the ring, showing glimpses of superstardom as he knocked out Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in Melbourne. He also backs up his incredible striking skills with top tier trash talking sound bites, pop culture fandom, social media savvy and even flashy dance moves. But there are perhaps still a couple of points to prove, having only been in the UFC for less than two years. Within this vacuum, one fighter has climbed the ranks and gobbled up headlines in the absence of a true superstar – Jorge Masvidal. The 35-year-old American has come out of relative MMA obscurity to win a belt, the “BMF” title, that feels like it was dreamed up by a 30-year-old WWE fan who still lives in his parents’ basement. He beat Nate Diaz by cutting him open – which is not a difficult thing to do – and amid a quiet UFC landscape, has perched himself atop the mountain with a loudspeaker. He’s called for a boxing match with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, traded jabs with Diaz and his brother Nick on various subjects, told Dana White he could step in at UFC 245, and called out McGregor, trying to bait him into a fight for the BMF belt. He recently went on ESPN’s Dan Le Batard Show and talked smack because, well, it’s a very slow news cycle when it comes to the UFC. Problem is, Masvidal’s resume is nothing near to McGregor, Jones or Khabib. He sits at 35 wins and 13 losses over a career that started back in 2003 with the Australian Fighting Championship. Most of Masvidal’s wins came before his UFC debut in 2013, and since then, he’s fought 18 times and only won 12 bouts. Basically, to sum it up, he’s lost more UFC fights than McGregor, Khabib and Jones combined. He has not beaten any champion, or contested for a belt until he won one that was made up as a marketing gimmick. He shot to internet fandom after dispatching Ben Askren with a lucky knee to the head to claim the UFC’s fastest knockout in history. You have to give the guy credit, he’s been fighting for a long time and his longevity does speak volumes in a sport that tends to chew up athletes and spit them out. But does just hanging around the greats warrant such a spotlight, or is his timing just impeccable after all these years? Masvidal, a journeyman, is milking his moment in the sun for all its worth, and who can blame the guy? Let’s just not forget the bigger picture here: the UFC needs a new, bankable, marketable star worse than ever, and relying on second-tier fighters to keep the news cycle pumping while its genuine superstars lick their wounds and pick their battles smacks of an organisation in disarray, not in command.

The Takedown | UFC: Jorge Masvidal is trash-talking like a legend, but he’s a journeyman milking his 15 minutes of fame

As the UFC tries to find its next superstar to hang the company on, the ‘BMF’ title holder is cashing in on a lack of firepower Amid a quiet UFC landscape, Masvidal has perched himself atop the mountain with a loudspeaker

As the UFC tries to find its next superstar to hang the company on, the ‘BMF’ title holder is cashing in on a lack of firepower

Amid a quiet UFC landscape, Masvidal has perched himself atop the mountain with a loudspeaker