“I Got Lucky”- Ex-UFC Star Jorge Masvidal Opens Up on Life Before Kimbo Slice Recruited Him for Backyard Brawls

Jorge Masvidal is the original BMF. The Cuban-American beat Nate Diaz via doctor stoppage for the title in 2019. Although ‘Gamebred’ never won a championship, he was an exciting fighter. His exceptional striking saw him take the then-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman to the judges’ scorecard. However, he retired earlier this year, and has dedicated himself full-time to fight promotion.

The 38- year-old was seen at UFC 291, which saw Justin Gaethje take on Dustin Poirier for the BMF belt. Masvidal was present to pass on the title to the winner, Gaethje. In an interview given after the event, he revealed what his life had been like before meeting Kimbo Slice.

Jorge Masvidal reveals what life was like before he met Kimbo Slice

Masvidal used to fight in Kimbo Slice’s backyard fights on YouTube before his professional career. In a chat with Youtuber Nina Drama, he revealed what his life was like before meeting Slice. The Cuban-American had escaped from Cuba in a makeshift raft when he was just 15. He told Nina Drama that before he met Slice, he would go from gym to gym in Miami and train with people there. He pointed out that there were a lot of good strikers in the city due to a lot of champions and Olympians from Cuba having moved there, but there was not much Jiu-Jitsu or wrestling in those gyms.

“I was just training uh gym to gym. Wherever I found out that they were training MMA or wrestling or they had good level striking. I got lucky that I grew up in Miami and there was a lot of high-level strikers… but it wasn’t too much wrestling and Jiu Jitsu in the beginning so I would seek that” he said.

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He mentioned how he met Slice in a gym by accident and the latter’s team asked him to one of the backyard fights, which kicked off his fighting career. “And, um, one thing led to another. Me and Kimbo were at the same gym, and his Camp invited me to go to one of the backyard [fights] and boom,” he told Nina.

Who was Kimbo Slice?

Kimbo Slice gained popularity in the mid 2000s after videos of his street fights got popular on YouTube. He was signed by the UFC after making his way up through The Ultimate Fighter. Although he had an uneventful stint at the UFC, he continued to enjoy a large fan following, acquired in his days as a street brawler. In 2016, Kimbo Slice passed away due to congestive heart failure at 42 years of age.

Kimbo Slice was a unique fighter who cannot be judged by his record alone. Even though his professional career consisted of only seven fights (in which he was 5-2), he was able to capture the imaginations of many people on YouTube and turned them towards combat sports.

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