ROUNDTABLE: Who wins the Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal fight and why?

Who wins the Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal fight and why?

FRANK HYDEN, MMATorch Columnist

I’m going to go with Thompson to win an extremely close decision. Masvidal is capable of wrecking anyone so I think Thompson plays it safe and we get a boring fight. I’d love to be wrong, I hope I am, but my expectations are low for this fight. I really like both fighters, but neither man is going to want to take any chances and risk losing. Of course, whenever fighters do that they hurt themselves because winning a boring fight is about as bad as losing an exciting one. Almost, but not quite.

SEAN COVINGTON, MMATorch Conributor

Thompson; easy. Masvidal is a gate keeper to me. He will have a good fight but is never a serious contender.

JOHN HARRIS, MMATorch Contributor

My pick is Stephen Thompson by unanimous decision.  This fight should be great to watch if you are a fan of the stand up game.  Masvidal  has strong boxing skills with great power. Thompson  has a unique karate style that always makes it difficult for his opponents to find their comfort zone. I expect Thompson to score points with leg kicks and  quick in and out shots. Masvidal will need to most likely land the big blow for KO or TKO but I just do not see that happening. Thompson should be able to out point Masvidal for the unanimous decision.

RICK MONSEY, MMATorch Contributor

I think Stephen Thompson will win but I want Masvidal to prove me wrong.  With this fight only being three rounds Thompson will be more willing to push the pace and be more offensive which has been his weakness lately.  Masvidal is a good striker but he’s not on Thompson’s level.  The best shot Masvidal has is to try to put Thompson on his back.  That’s easier said than done.

ZACK HEYDORN, MMATorch Contributor

This is a tough one to call. Maybe the toughest fight on the card. My heart wants to pick Masvidal. He’s a well-rounded fighter that can exploit Thompson in many ways. On the flip side, Thompson is a very unique fighter whose style can sneak up on anyone in the UFC. Because of the parity in this one, I’m leaning on the simple eye test. In that regard, my pick goes to Thompson. He’s got plenty to fight for to redeem himself after two straight losses against Tyron Woodley. More so than that, I think his unique style will end up being a little too much for Masvidal to handle. This one will go the distance with the decision going to Thompson.

COLE HENRY, MMATorch Contributor

It kills me to write this but I think that Jorge Masvidal will be the first man to catch Stephen Thompson with his hands down, and I think he will do it early. I think Masvidal gets the TKO win late in the first round. Thompson has avoided disaster so far with his risky style, but Masvidal is no joke and I think he gets the job done here.

JOSHUA GARCIA, MMATorch Contributor

I think Jorge will win this by out working Wonderboy and putting a lot of pressure on him and not give him distance to utilize his kicks.

NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS ROUNDTABLE: Who wins the Johny Hendricks vs. Paulo Borrachinha fight and why?