Jorge Masvidal Opines On Top Middleweight Fighter In The World

Muscle Insider

New member
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal feels one of his American Top Team teammates is the best middleweight in the sport.
Masvidal will return to face Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 later this year. He’s looking to get back in the win column after three consecutive losses, including back-to-back title fights against Kamaru Usman.
Masvidal’s path to UFC stardom is unique. An appearance on a reality television show earlier in his career ended up being the catapult to his three-win year in 2019.
At 38 years old, Masvidal has seen some of the best and brightest athletes fall short and also seen their potential come to fruition. He’s mentored and worked with some of the top fighters in the world at ATT, including Kayla Harrison and Dustin Poirier.
But, Masvidal hasn’t seen anything quite like one of his undefeated colleagues who recently defended his Bellator title.
Jorge Masvidal: Johnny Eblen Is The Best In The World

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Masvidal spoke highly of Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen.
“I’ve been talking about Johnny Eblen since he was an amateur,” Masvidal said of Eblen. “I’ll tell you right now. He could go to the UFC and be a UFC champion. He has all the goods. Right now, there’s not a lot of people who can grapple with him. Fucking great hands, great power, and this guy lives at the gym…he is the best middleweight right now currently in the world. I truly believe that.”
“I was saying it before the [Gegard Mousasi] fight,” Masvidal continued. “I think Mousasi’s one of the best fighters at 185. When Johnny beat him, he really showed how ahead of the pack he is. His performance on Saturday put another staple on it.”
Eblen defended the Bellator middleweight title this past weekend at Bellator 290, defeating Anatoly Tokov via unanimous decision. He earned the belt by beating Gegard Mousasi last year.
Eblen recently sat down with MMA News and broke down how he would overwhelm UFC champion Alex Pereira in a super fight. Pereira earned the UFC belt over Israel Adesanya at UFC 281, and many regard him as the top 185lber in the sport.
One of Pereira’s kryptonites, however, is his grappling. Eblen is a former standout collegiate wrestler who has proven to ragdoll his opponents inside the MMA cage.
Masvidal’s thoughts on Eblen are arguably based on teammate bias, although he’s impressed with how Eblen has handled success just 13 fights into his professional career.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal feels one of his American Top Team teammates is the best middleweight in the sport.


Masvidal will return to face Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 later this year. He’s looking to get back in the win column after three consecutive losses, including back-to-back title fights against Kamaru Usman.


Masvidal’s path to UFC stardom is unique. An appearance on a reality television show earlier in his career ended up being the catapult to his three-win year in 2019.


At 38 years old, Masvidal has seen some of the best and brightest athletes fall short and also seen their potential come to fruition. He’s mentored and worked with some of the top fighters in the world at ATT, including Kayla Harrison and Dustin Poirier.


But, Masvidal hasn’t seen anything quite like one of his undefeated colleagues who recently defended his Bellator title.


Jorge Masvidal: Johnny Eblen Is The Best In The World
Collage-Maker-06-Feb-2023-02.19-PM-1024x576.jpg.optimal.jpg

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Masvidal spoke highly of Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen.


“I’ve been talking about Johnny Eblen since he was an amateur,” Masvidal said of Eblen. “I’ll tell you right now. He could go to the UFC and be a UFC champion. He has all the goods. Right now, there’s not a lot of people who can grapple with him. Fucking great hands, great power, and this guy lives at the gym…he is the best middleweight right now currently in the world. I truly believe that.”

[/quote]
“I was saying it before the [Gegard Mousasi] fight,” Masvidal continued. “I think Mousasi’s one of the best fighters at 185. When Johnny beat him, he really showed how ahead of the pack he is. His performance on Saturday put another staple on it.”


Eblen defended the Bellator middleweight title this past weekend at Bellator 290, defeating Anatoly Tokov via unanimous decision. He earned the belt by beating Gegard Mousasi last year.


Eblen recently sat down with MMA News and broke down how he would overwhelm UFC champion Alex Pereira in a super fight. Pereira earned the UFC belt over Israel Adesanya at UFC 281, and many regard him as the top 185lber in the sport.


One of Pereira’s kryptonites, however, is his grappling. Eblen is a former standout collegiate wrestler who has proven to ragdoll his opponents inside the MMA cage.


Masvidal’s thoughts on Eblen are arguably based on teammate bias, although he’s impressed with how Eblen has handled success just 13 fights into his professional career.


Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.




Click here to view the article.
 
Back
Top