Jorge Masvidal plans to keep Stephen Thompson off his bike, earn title shot at UFC 217

Jorge Masvidal has no time to waste on his path to the title, as he plans to bring the fight to Stephen Thompson when they tango at this weekend’s (Sat., Nov. 4, 2017) UFC 217 event in New York City.

And should he score a win over “Wonderboy” — who spent the last 10 rounds of his fighting career trying to dethrone the current Welterweight champion — Masvidal says he should be next in line for a shot at the 170-pound strap.

“For the title, duh. Of course, I won against the guy that went 10 rounds with the champion. That’s my idea,” said Masvidal in a recent appearance on The MMA Hour.

UFC president Dana White has already confirmed the winner of the upcoming fight between Robbie Lawler and Rafael dos Anjos would be getting next dibs on the division title.

The matchup against Thompson has all the makings of a showstopper, as both men prefer to bang it out on the feet. For “Gamebred,” the challenge is getting the karate expert to engage instead of giving off the illusion that he actually wants to fight.

“As long as he doesn’t get on his bike and run, it should be interesting. I’ve seen him do that in the past, he gets on that bike, side kicks the air and tries to win a decision and my plan is to stop that, put a hurting on him,” added Jorge, who came up short against Demian Maia at UFC 211 in his previous outing.

Speaking of Maia, the jiu-jitsu ace suffered a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Masvidal’s good friend and training partner — Colby Covington -- this past weekend (Sat., Oct. 27, 2017) in Sao Paulo, Brazil (see it). He then had to listen “Chaos” insult Maia’s hometown and its citizens after calling them “filthy animals” who reside in a dump.

Those comments didn’t sit to well with many Brazilians around the MMA community — including plenty of Colby’s training partners at American Top Team (ATT). Still, Jorge is backing his teammate.

“There’s several ways to look at it. Did he cross the line? Did he go too far? It’s entertainment. It’s cool for people, as we’re walking out, to throw shit - my coach called me before he said any of that, but he said people were shoving him as he was walking through the open workouts,” revealed Masvidal.

“How disrespectful is that? They don’t take into consideration that we are human beings. Does he really mean that they are filthy animals? No, but it’s entertainment also. At the same time, if your being disrespected, if you come to Miami and people are throwing shit at you, spitting at you, shoving your corners. What’s going to happen? I think he’s all in the right, man, especially if it came from his heart, you can’t get mad at him, that’s how he feels.”

The UFC’s Code of Conduct Committee may not think it’s all for show. As for a potential rift within the ranks of ATT, Masvidal says he will ride with Colby when it comes down to it.

“Who gives a fuck what happens man, that’s my partner, he’s got my back and I got his and don’t nobody want problems at the end of the day. I’ll tell you that right now.”

For more on Masvidal’s showdown against Thompson at this Saturday’s stacked UFC 217 event click here.