Rustam K. vs J. Masvidal

[315MMAFighter]

I read about this yesterday, if you go to Rustam on fight finder here in Sherdog, look under recent news, it says they agreed to fight, this was back in July, this is a awesome match up imo, Rustam by being the more skilled grappler imo, also, the russian appears to have a strong chin, Yancy was picking him apart before Rustam threw him awkardly and Yancy broke his thumb . What does everyone else think? Who wins this? Thoughts on both fighters?

 

[DennysGrandSlam]

Jackson says Rustam is champ material. If he truly has the potential to be champ, in LW no less, he needs to beat Masvidal.

 

[melvinj0]

Khabilov has looked pretty damn good, but Masvidal could take this.

 

[movingparts]

Masvidal has looked refined and very solid in the UFC. Should be an incredible, and due, test for Rustam.

Great fight.

 

[315MMAFighter]

Rustam just like Khabib are SICK sambo practicioners, their grappling ability is wicked and strong, Ive always enjoyed watching Jorge fight, but I dont think Jorge can handle the grapple storm called Rustam, this is gonna be a awesome fight

 

[315MMAFighter]

Cant wait for a Russian to win a belt in the UFC, Russia produces exciting fighters

 

[El Chimpo]

im going with gamebred ...dudes underrated

 

[TC999]

Should be a good one, I'll go with Masvidal.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

Those ruskies have very impressive grappling and love watching Rustam and Khabib compete.

That being said, Jorge is a very well-rounded fighter that has had some bumps in the past but he also shows up and puts on great performances. Jorge having the superior boxing and is no stranger to grappling this one should be GREAT!!

 

[Bboy]

Hmm. I'm gonna go with Masvidal due to experience. He's been in there with some of the top guys.

 

[Marce Porter]

Khabilov is a cold-blooded assassin. He will Suplex Masvidal to death.

 

[Karaso0]

Rustam has excellent sambo, but in his last fight with yancy (hope that's the fight I'm thinking if) he seemed to be having some trouble. They brought yancy in after a one (two?) year layoff as a gimme fight I presume. Having said that my money is on gamebread, but wouldn't be surprised to see a a two round slamfeast followed by a tough third for rustam.

 

[MikalP]

Rustam is a Combat Sambo World Champion, Combat Sambo Russian National Champion, and Combat Sambo Republic of Dagestan Champion. There is no doubt in my mind that once he is accustom to fighting/training with the North American style of MMA, he will have much success in the UFC. He is in a very competitive division which will bring out the best in him.

But yes, the Masvidal fight was announced at the end of July. Can't wait!

 

[Dionysian]

Very excited for this fight, Masvidal is an excellent test for Rustam. Masvidal is actually decently underrated... he's VERY competitive with top level guys (Gil) and starches non-top-level guys so he is a great measuring stick for any would-be contender.

Cant wait for a Russian to win a belt in the UFC, Russia produces exciting fighters

and this all day long

 

[jjjjjjjjjjohnny]

i like masvidal - but i have to go with the russian - only risk i see his him gassing out half way through the fight.

 

[Lincoln Hawk]

Hard to say. Khabilov hasn't been tested in the UFC and Masvidal is underrated.

Chiesa looked good against Masvidal for the first few minutes of their fight, but Masvidal made the right adjustments, leveraged his striking advantage and exposed Chiesa as 1-dimensional. Masvidal is smart, experienced and more rounded than people think.

Masvidal should be the favorite IMO.

 

[Pennisland]

Masvidal has good wrestling and proved a solid ground game last fight. He picks Rustam apart and avoids any deadly slams and ground and pound. Jorge by decision.

 

[SBC]

Masvidal. I find it silly that so many are set in their belief that Rustam is going to beat Jorge and think that Rustam is a future contender based on nothing but two fights over opposition we know little about. It seems to me that the hype surrounding Rustam has little more to do with skills and more so the fact that he is Russian. People have it engrained in their brains that all Russians are these badass demigods that are superior to everyone else. If he was any other nationality people wouldn't be acting so sure that he's an unbeatable title challenger.

Masvidal on the other hand is extremely underrated. Although I've certainly seen him make some baffling choices in fight and end up losing or looking not as dominant in his performances because of it, he's a veteran who get's no credit for his toughness and technicality. His win over Satoru Kitaoka alone is a more relevant and impressive win than anything that Khabilov has done in his career. If Masvidal comes into this fight in prime form it won't be competitive.

 

[ravifreitas]

It depends on what is better: Rustam's takedowns or Masvidal TDD.

 

[MikalP]

Masvidal certainly has not trained his take down defense enough to deal with the versatility of Sambo trips/throws/takedowns that Rustam brings to the fight.