

UFC star Jorge Masvidal built a reputation for his fearless and outspoken attitude during his decade-long association with the promotion. Contrary to his fame, the welterweight fighter also experienced jitters ahead of his matches. While the American fighter chalked out a gusty image of himself, given his infamous brawls with Leon Edwards and also Colby Covington, he felt nervousness gripping him ahead of his grappling matches. However, ‘Gamebred’, who never backed down from a fight, felt at home when he fought with his fists.
Notably, the former UFC title challenger recently opened up about his struggles with nervousness. Despite these concerns, the 38-year-old never joined the likes of fighters who threw up backstage ahead of their fights. Further, the #11 ranked welterweight mentioned his lack of expertise in grappling skills, compared to his offensive skills, might have been the reason for discomfort.
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Jorge Masvidal reveals he felt more comfortable with MMA instead of grappling
Masvidal, in conversation with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, admitted he faced nervousness since he was a kid. Notably, the MMA fighter contested in wrestling at St. Brendan High School but had to drop out because of his falling grades. Subsequently, he transitioned to Karate and MMA.

via Imago
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 12: Jorge Masvidal prepares to fight Kamaru Usman in their UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 251 event at Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 12, 2020 on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Thus, the 35-16 record holder disclosed, “I used to get more nervous for grappling competitions than fighting competitions always since a kid. And that’s because since maybe my grappling, I wasn’t always the best at it, especially like offensively. I would feel like, oh, you know.”
“I’d get more nerves more, like, damn, you know. But with the fighting with this [fist]. It was just like a fish in water, you know,” he added later on.
The American Top Team representative had a rough patch in recent years as he fell to a 4-loss slump when he faced his friend-turned-foe Colby Covington at UFC 272. The same grappling issues bugged him in the grudge fight as his opponent exploited this weakness.
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Jorge Masvidal squares off against Gilbert Burns next at UFC 287 on April 8 in Miami.
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What do you think of these statements by UFC star Jorge Masvidal about his grappling days? Do you believe he made the right choice by transitioning to MMA? Let us know in the comments below.
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