Tomorrow night, in the co-main event of the UFC’s latest stop in Denver, Colorado, dangerous veteran Jorge Masvidal will get a big step up in competition against the streaking Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
Since moving to the welterweight division, Cowboy has gone a perfect 4-0, scoring stoppage wins over Alex Oliveira, Patrick Cote, Rick Story, and most recently, Matt Brown. The simple fact is that, at this point, nobody in the division has quite figured out how to beat him.
According to Masvidal, however, taking Cowboy out is not as difficult as it seems. During a Wednesday interview on BJ PENN Radio, Masvidal explained that the key to defeating Cowboy is a strong mental game.
“The mental, the mindset,” Masvidal told host Jason “Kinch” Kindschy of how he plans to oust Cowboy. “He’s a skilled fighter and he’s got a little bit of athleticism. But at the end of the day it’s about mind over matter, I know my mind overcomes his. When it gets hot, when the fight is long, when one of us gets tired or one of us is hurt, I’m going to be the one who keeps pushing.”
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Masvidal went on to give his prediction for the fight, and according to him, this one’s not going to be competitive.
“I see this fight going down with me winning,” he said. “It’s not going to be a war, it’s going to be a one sided hammer and he’s the nail. He’s going to get a beat down on that night from the moment that bell rings till the moment the ref saves him.”
“You can expect to see my usual traits; Speed, aggression, technique, defense, head movement and pressure. I’m going to take him down and I’m going to rinse and repeat that cycle until he breaks. That’s all I’m going to do, punch him in the face and take him down. I’m just going to keep doing it.”
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However the fight goes down, Masvidal says that he’s prepared to make a big statement in Denver. His words:
“I’m ready, man. I’m ready to make a big statement. I’m glad that I have the right opposition in front of me to make a statement. I could smashed on ‘Joe-Blow’ but it doesn’t do anything. This opponent that I’ve got in front of me has got me excited. It’s got me waking up early and doing what I have to do to succeed.”
Do you think Jorge Masvidal will end Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s welterweight streak? Sound off, PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 1/27/2017.