Jorge Masvidal has earned the admiration of fight fans and fellow fighters alike for a fighting style that always sees him go forward night in and night out.
In other words, he likes a good old scrap.
Stephen Thompson, meanwhile, is more of a patient and technical fighter, though he, too, has won fans over thanks to his highlight reel knockouts. Still, “Gamebred” says it is going to be up to him to make it a real fight when they tango at UFC 217 on Nov. 4, 2017 in New York City.
“I don’t believe he’s coming to scrap,” Masvidal told Flocombat. “I believe he’s going to do what he always does. If a guy gives him a big enough of an opportunity for him to take a small risk, he’ll do it, but he’s going to stay defensive and play his game. He’s not going to go in there and throw down, like, ‘OK, let’s fight and see what happens,’“ he added.
Indeed, though he’s racked up plenty if wins, Thompson’s karate style of fighting has always seen him pick his shots via counterpunches and lots of patience.
“He’s going to be more at his distance trying to dictate a pace like how he fought Rory MacDonald or a lot of the guys that won’t fully commit to him, and he’ll just take a back seat and just side kick and jab there,” Masvidal added. “I think that’s what he’s going to do. It’s up to me to make it a fight,” concluded Masvidal.
Jorge tried to make it a good old fashion brawl against Demian Maia at UFC 211, but Maia ultimately neautralized Jorge’s attack with his grappling.
But since Thompson prefers the standup game, it’s unlikely Masvidal will have to worry about too many takedown or submission attempts.
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