Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal is a 26-year-old MMA fighter of Cuban-American descent who hails from Miami, Florida. He is primarily a stand-up fighter, having also fought as a professional boxer. His notoriety started on the internet, with a street fight posted to YouTube of Masvidal taking on noted street fighter Kimbo Slice’s protégé fighter, “Ray.” Jorge may be new to Strikeforce, but not to MMA fans.
Jorge started his career in 2003 with the Absolute Fighting Championship, and has fought in many organizations, including Sengoku, Bodog Fight and Strikeforce. Jorge signed with Strikeforce in 2010, and early in 2011 he fought Billy Evangelista (11-1-1), winning the fight via unanimous decision. Jorge’s most recent fight, in June 2011 against another professional boxer, K.J. Noons (9-3), ended with another win via unanimous decision. His precise counter-punching and ability to land jabs left K.J. with a very bloodied face.
Despite his vigorous training schedule, I had a chance to ask “Gamebred” a few questions.
Romine: Hey Jorge! Very nice to meet you. With your overwhelming victory over KJ Noons 2 weeks ago, this has catapulted your fighting career within Strikeforce.
Masvidal: Nice to meet you too, thank you.
Romine: With your incredible striking skills, is there anyone out there specifically you would like to fight?
Masvidal: Gilbert Melendez, Frankie Edgar and any of the top guys.
Romine: Maybe a re-match against Paul Daley (if either of you change weight-class)?
Masvidal: I moved up to 170lbs to fight him. Yes I would fight him again, for sure.
Romine: Which fight do you feel is your absolute best and which was your worst?
Masvidal: Best fight was my last cause it was fun, and worst fight was Rodrigo Damm cause it was a bad stoppage.
Romine: Lets talk about your training and your gym. SMSP in Miami, do you own this gym or part owner? How often do you train there vs over at ATT ?
Masvidal: I am a partner in SMSP, I train at SMSP everyday except Sunday and ATT twice a week, sometimes three times.
Romine: Obviously your stand up is top-notch and you were a pro boxer, but how is your ground game?
Masvidal: My ground game is solid, but still room for improvement.
Romine: Do you train in any JJ or wrestling? If so, who is your coach?
Masvidal: I have several coaches wrestling: Alexis Vila, Kami and BJJ Pahumpa, Liborio.
Romine: How do you feel about pro boxers bashing MMA?
Masvidal: I think they are trying to sell themselves and bring more attention to boxing because MMA took over.
Romine: Tell us about your typical day — without giving away any secrets — what about your diet/nutrition and training?
Masvidal: Diet is mostly drive thru’s and my training is mostly shadow boxing and hitting the bag.
Romine: Personal: For the female fans, are you married? Kids?
Masvidal: I have 2 beautiful kids.
Romine: Besides training, what do you do in your spare time?
Masvidal: I play a lot of XBox, and like long walks on the beach.
Romine: Lastly, what does your future look like?
Masvidal: Hopefully a belt and a lot of money.
Romine: Thanks so much to Jorge for his time, as he does train almost daily even without a fight pending.
It will be interesting to see who Strikeforce matchmakers will put up against the young fighter next. Current Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez’s competition in the organization is running thin, and he currently does not have immediate plans to switch over to the UFC. While I don’t think Jorge will get to fight Gilbert next, his future does look bright, especially if he keeps soundly beating all the competition that comes his way.
