Jorge Masvidal fought for 15 years before finally getting his due adulation after a record-setting KO of the formerly undefeated Ben Askren at UFC 239 in July. Now ‘Gamebred’ fights Nate Diaz for the BMF belt at UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden at New York City on November 2. However, Masvidal was fighting before he began MMA – bareknuckle boxing for Kimbo Slice, when he was known as ‘Ponytail’.

In his latest The Diaries of a Street Fighter series, Masvidal detailed one of his backyard fights; it was a rematch.

We threw down in those scraps like dogs, like f***ing animals and nothing but love,” said Masvidal, as transcribed by MMA Fighting. “Both times, the first and the second time and I respect that. It was a soul-searching moment. It was tough. It wasn’t easy. There’s no time limits on that and we’re just going, going and going.

That rematch was tough, but it let the world know who you had in here.”