When he entered 2009′s Bellator lightweight tournament, Jorge Masvidal was considered an early favorite–along with eventual tournament winner Eddie Alvarez–to clear the field en route to the first-ever Bellator Lightweight Championship bout. Unfortunately for Masvidal, a veteran fighter by the name of Toby Imada had other plans, defeating Masvidal with a picture-perfect inverted triangle choke that has since gone on to earn him multiple Submission of the Year awards in the international MMA community. With the sting of that defeat still painfully fresh in his mind, Masvidal is looking forward to his chance at revenge when he battles Imada for the second time this April in the first round of Bellator’s second lightweight tournament.
Tapology’s Steven Kelliher recently caught up with Masvidal to discuss his first fight against Imada as well as his thoughts on the rematch and his plan of attack for his second attempt at a Bellator title in as many years.
Tapology: It was announced recently that you would be fighting Toby Imada once again in April when the second season of Bellator Fighting Championships kicks off. Can you confirm this?
Masvidal: I hope so; that’s the match I’ve been wanting. I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen.
Tapology: Did you lobby for this fight, or do you think they have been planning on making it a reality for some time now?
Masvidal: Since I lost to him last year I have wanted that fight. It’s nothing personal against Toby; I just want to beat everyone I go up against, so I want to kill him this time.
Tapology: What are you going to do differently in this fight and why are you going to come out on top?
Masvidal: I’m not even thinking about a specific strategy. Last time was a joke, man. I just want to push the pace, go in there and have fun. I hope Toby comes in shape because I’m going to give it my all.
Tapology: Would you be satisfied with a decision victory in this fight?
Masvidal: A win is a win, but I don’t want to knock him out in the first round. I want to just go at it, test his will, test my will, push the pace and make him break. Even if I beat him, I still won’t be satisfied because the score would be 1-1. If I win that Bellator lightweight title, the first person I would want to give a title shot to would be Toby Imada.
Tapology: Imada actually won the first annual World MMA Award for Submission of the Year with that victory. How do you feel about that?
Masvidal: I’m not going to cry or anything, but it bothers me. I’m not proud of it, but it happens.
Tapology: Do you have any other fights scheduled between now and April?
Masvidal: I’m going to fight in February in a local show in Miami just to stay busy. I want to keep my weight down and keep my reflexes up.
Tapology: Aside from that, are you mainly going to be focusing on this Bellator tournament, or could you be fighting in Sengoku again as well?
Masvidal: I would love to fight in Sengoku because the pay is way better than most places, but I don’t think I’ll be fighting for the title since [Mizuto] Hirota hurt his arm, so I just don’t see who they would put me against; they promised me Hirota would be next.
Tapology: Going back to Bellator, what are your thoughts on the promotion as a whole going into 2010 compared with 2009?
Masvidal: I don’t know. Now they have FSN, NBC, and Telemundo, which is good, but it’s one of those things where you just have to wait and see.
Tapology: What can you do differently this time around to ensure that you get up to Eddie Alvarez and that Bellator lightweight title?
Masvidal: I’m just going to keep my head clear and stick to my game plans a little bit more. I could have just gone for a double leg in that fight against Toby, but I picked him up and went for the big slam and Toby capitalized, so I just have to keep thinking one step ahead. Instead of counter-fighting like I usually do, I just want to pressure everybody and break them with my will. I know I have more will than anybody, so I’m going to start using that.
I know I’m going to get up to Alvarez, and not Toby or anyone else is going to slow me down.
Tapology: Thanks a lot for the time, Jorge.
Masvidal: Thank you.
[...] pretty sure he gets Imada rematch in Bellator, predicts R1 KO source / full interview Masvidal Exclusive: Looking for Revenge in Second Bid for Bellator Title [...]