Stephen Thompson and Jorge Masvidal is a great style clash.
UFC 217 has a triple decker of title fights featuring a legacy fight at middleweight, a grudge make at bantamweight, and an absolute war at strawweight. Despite all of that, the most anticipated fight for a certain striking fanatic is a battle in the welterweight division between two seasoned strikers as Stephen Thompson is set to do battle against Jorge Masvidal. While you would call this a match up against kickboxers, both men employ a very different style of attack. Where Masvidal has a mix of different striking disciplines in his toolkit, most prominently his crisp boxing, Thompson is a karate stylist with good boxing fundamentals of his own.
While his rematch with Tyron Woodley didn’t go his way, Stephen Thompson remains one of the most standout strikers in the welterweight division. He is able to dictate the pace of his fights by utilizing different fakes and feints that can throw an opponent off his scent until Thompson is ready to unleash a genuine strike. For the most part his feints come in the way of fake jabs, but his karate bounce, or set bounce, allows him to lull his opponents into a false sense of security or even anticipation that have them either standing frozen awaiting an explosive blitz from Thompson or lunging forward to be met with a counter.
What Stephen Thompson will want to do in this fight is what he’s always been proficient at doing in the striking realm: offering up variety. Obviously his trade mark side kick will make an appearance in this match, but he won’t want to rely on this technique. Lateral movement and quick angle changes should be his bread and butter in this match up. He doesn’t want to stay in one place too long to allow Masvidal opportunities to open up with his jabs. Instead, his shift through cross, or darting straight, from orthodox to southpaw should be a great weapon to either set up another cross or a side kick to exploit the new angle.
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Primarily, Thompson should stick to the southpaw stance where he can control the range by trapping Masvidal’s front hand. That front hand control will allow for numerous different options from calf kicks to the straight left hand. Adding that set bounce will also act as a potent feint and throw Masvidal off of his timing. Masvidal does use a lot of other tools, but his jab and front hand feints play a hugely important role in setting up his offense. Thompson’s fight with Rory MacDonald showcased how dangerous the karate striker can be in an open stance battle.
Jorge Masvidal is just one of those fighters who will always give his opponents problems. With a hardnosed attitude and the skills to back it up, Masvidal is generally pretty responsible when entering and exiting the pocket, using his jab as a multifaceted tool. When he’s not using the jab as a legit weapon, Masvidal can also use the front hand punch as a range finder as well as a beautiful feint to set up his right cross into the left hook. His finish of Donald Cerrone showcased his patience and economy in his striking while eventually leading him to hurt Cerrone on multiple occasions until ultimately seizing the finish.
Since he can’t rely on Thompson planting himself directly in front of him and trading leather, Jorge Masvidal is going to want to exploit the karate fighter’s wider stance and attack the calf with leg kicks. As soon as Thompson sets into a side stance then Masvidal should look for the leg kick immediately. Destroying Thompson’s wheels will go a long way to stopping his movement. Pressuring Thompson with continuous feints and jabs should also be a priority for Masvidal. Thompson has great cage/ring generalship, but can be forced into a bit of a firefight when his back is up against the fence. Masvidal should work the body and the legs while in the center of the cage while jabbing up top to push Thompson back or force him to move laterally.
Once Thompson moves, Masvidal has to be diligent about cutting off the cage, kicking the karate stylist’s legs while he’s on the retreat. This will not only slow down Thompson, but give Masvidal the opportunity to cut off his opponent and force him to trade when he stops his movement. Masvidal’s wrestling and clinch game shouldn’t be taken for granted either. If he can force Thompson into the clinch, Masvidal should let his elbows fly.
This should be a great striking match up, perhaps on par with the three title fights headlining this major event. Will it be the karate of Stephen Thompson or the diverse striking game of Jorge Masvidal that prevails?
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Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
