Jorge Masvidal cemented his place in the UFC record books on Saturday, July 6 with a five-second destruction of former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder Ben Askren at UFC 239 in Las Vegas. Masvidal sprinted across the cage and landed a devastating flying knee that immediately separated Askren from consciousness before getting in two more shots for good measure.
It was the fastest knockout in UFC history.
The knockout of Askren was the second consecutive highlight-reel finish for Masvidal, who many are now rallying behind to get the next title shot at 170-pounds, and his fourth (T)KO in his last five wins. In March 2019, Masvidal earned a $50,000 bonus for his brutal knockout of Darren Till in London.
Masvidal, who fought for Bellator, Strikeforce, Shark Fights, and World Victory Road before his time with the UFC, now holds a professional record of 34-13, with 15 of his wins coming by knockout.
But before the American Top Team standout was a mixed martial arts star, he was a Miami, Florida street fighting legend thanks to his time in the same backyard brawl circuit as the one and only Kimbo Slice.
Masvidal would often match up against bigger opponents, but was never willing to back down and showed the same heart and aggression that has led to his pro-MMA success. In fact, his most popular street fights on YouTube are against Kimbo Slice protege Ray, who he was able to defeat on two separate occasions. And that is when the legend of “Gamebred” was first born.
If you’ve never seen Masvidal in his backyard fighting glory days, you’re in for a treat.
You can check out some of Masvidal’s backyard fights from the Miami street fighting circuit below.
