"A guy that might be actually slowing down" - Kenny Florian feels Jorge Masvidal's "reaction time" isn't the same anymore
Kenny Florian feels that time is slowly but surely catching up with Jorge Masvidal. Having looked at and assessed Masvidal's recent performances inside the octagon, the renowned commentator feels 'Gamebred's reaction time has slowed down considerably and that his movement seems slower than usual.
In his latest fight, Masvidal succumbed to a humbling unanimous decision loss to former friend-turned-bitter rival Colby Covington at UFC 272. He seemed to be struggling with stamina in the later rounds and was kept largely subdued by Covington's aggressive wrestling throughout the fight.
At 37 years of age, Masvidal isn't getting any younger. Florian feels that the years of sparring, competing inside the octagon and sustaining damage to the body are finally beginning to take their toll. In a recent episode of the Anik & Florian podcast, the former UFC fighter said:
"What I'm seeing [in Masvidal] is a guy that might be actually slowing down a little bit. He's been fighting a long time right and I hate to say that all this is a physical thing and he's getting older, blah blah, but that's a real thing... Jorge used to have amazing reaction time and to me he seemed a lot faster in previous fights than he did in the last couple fights. Getting knocked out by Usman doesn't help, getting hit in training doesn't help, he's been doing that for many many years so that was a little concerning."
Check out the entire episode of the podcast below:
Jorge Masvidal remains one of the biggest draws in the UFC despite the loss to Colby Covington
Despite being on a three-fight losing skid, Jorge Masvidal continues to remain one of the biggest draws in the UFC right now. He recently signed a lucrative multi-fight deal with the promotion, making him one of the highest-earning fighters in the promotion.
Jorge Masvidal inks new multi-fight contract to make him ‘top 5 highest-paid’ fighters in the UFC (@DamonMartin) mmafighting.com/2022/3/4/22960… https://t.co/7TK5A7DE4R
Although there's doubt as to whether he'll ever fight for the welterweight title again, there are many more interesting fights for the Miami native out there. One such fight is against former two-division champion Conor McGregor.
Both McGregor and Masvidal are currently on losing skids. They are also known for being prolific strikers with massive drawing power, so a fight between the pair will definitely attract eyeballs. It might make sense for the UFC to book a money fight between 'Gamebred' and 'The Notorious' down the line.
Jorge Masvidal opens door to fight with "jacked" rival Conor McGregor
mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sp… https://t.co/zArZZvyS4n