Today in MMA History: When Jorge Masvidal immortalised himself with a vicious flying knee KO on Ben Askren

Jorge Masvidal spent the majority of his career in obscurity besides the eyes of the most hardcore fans who recognized him as a mixed martial artist of serviceable skill. His defensive striking was slick, his grappling was well-rounded and he was exceptionally durable. Unfortunately, he was not noteworthy.

His tendency to not do enough on the offensive front led to a lot of split-decision losses, where he never looked like the inferior fighter. Everything, however, changed on July 6, 2019, four years ago today, when he defeated the then-undefeated Ben Askren.

His heated feud with the Olympic-level wrestler made their scrap at UFC 239, the event's most hyped fight. However, it wasn't much of a scrap. Instead, 'Gamebred' flatlined 'Funky' with a five-second flying knee, the fastest in UFC history.

Before Jon Anik could even finish mentioning his usual Modelo plug in, Joe Rogan was screaming. Jorge Masvidal had landed a flying knee for the ages, and Askren, as noted by Anik himself, was as stiff as a board on the canvas. The knockout launched 'Gamebred' into superstardom.

Masvidal became a household name in the sport and even earned the attention of Nate Diaz, a fighter known for being notoriously difficult to impress. The win led to Dana White booking him into a 'BMF' title fight with the Stockton cult icon, and 'Gamebred' didn't let the opportunity go to waste.

He defeated Diaz via doctor stoppage, and suddenly, a fighter who was once on the wrong of split-decisions, was at the helm of a three-fight KO/TKO streak that made him one of the biggest draws in the sport.

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Why did Jorge Masvidal retire from MMA?

While Jorge Masvidal's rise to prominence was sudden, his fall was just as quick. After his legendary three-fight win streak, he lost his first-ever UFC title fight against Kamaru Usman. To his credit, it was a short-notice fight and his foe only defeated him via uneventful unanimous decision.

With a full camp, Jorge Masvidal promised, he'd win the pair's rematch. Things, however, didn't go his way. At UFC 261, he was knocked out for the first time in his UFC career, courtesy of Kamaru Usman's right hand. He then lost his subsequent fight, a grudge match with former friend Colby Covington via dominant decision.

Suddenly, he was on a three-fight losing streak in contrast to his previous three-fight win streak. A loss to Gilbert Burns followed, prompting him to retire from the sport.