There are many elements that combine to make mixed martial arts what is is, but at the root of it all fighting is what matters most. And when it comes to blending the primal and the technical, there are few who have it like Jorge Masvidal.The Miami native has been wrecking shop in the professional ranks for the past 13 years, but the foundation for the fighter Masvidal would become was laid long before he stepped foot inside the cage. As the product of a single parent household in a notoriously jagged section of Dade County, Masvidal was quickly drawn into world where fighting was a necessity of survival.And while a decade plus would pass before he was official stamped "Gamebred", make no mistake about it Masvidal was game from the jump."Fighting was like walking to me," Masvidal told FloCombat in an exclusive interview. "The neighborhood I was in was rougher than most so it was something I had to do at a very young age. By seven or eight years old I was already fighting, and I'm not talking about play fighting. I'm talking about someone trying to steal something from me and having to break their face."Of course there was fear because I'm a human being, but I was more afraid to get hurt if I didn't do something because if you don't defend yourself it's only going to get worse. That's the way I was raised. I didn't have any older siblings, it was just me and my mom so there was no one to look out for me but me."With the older kids and living in a rough neighborhood things came my way early, and I learned quickly I was more than able to take care of myself."Jan 28, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Donald Cerrone (red gloves) competes against Jorge Masvidal (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY SportsThe large majority of people walking the Earth will avoid a fight at all cost, but Masvidal found something deeper in the chaos of it all. The Cuban and Peruvian blood running through his veins came equipped with a sense of pride for being able to stand on his two feet, but there was something else present as Masvidal quickly realized he had a knack for the square up get down.One scrap led to the next, and more after that, and somewhere in the mixture of melee of violence Masvidal found a sense of calm and purpose. He never went looking for trouble, but when it came it was nothing short of a blessing for a hard-knock youth playing the hand he was dealt."I never looked for problems, but man I sure did like them when they arose. If I was having a hard time at home and my mom whooped my ass because my grades weren't right, I would be just hoping someone crossed the line so I could take it out on them. Fighting became very spiritual for me and a way to release what was built up inside."I would hit them with a flurry of punches when I was younger, and cut them up and sting them up, but it wasn't like Boom! WorldStar, one-shot knockouts. That would come when I got older, but when I was young it wasn't that way. At seven years old I was fighting older kids who were the bullies and looking for trouble, and I don't remember dropping too many of them, but I do remember my hands always flying naturally."I've always had speed and a defensive radar," he added. "I could see the punches in slow motion and a lot of things people can't see in the fight because they get caught up in the moment I could see. From day one I could see things coming in slow motion and pull my head back then come back into range and turn my hands into weapons."I didn't have technique then but even still I knew I had something different because every time I stepped up to the line I could pull off the same thing over and over without any training."Dec 3, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Jorge Masvidal (blue gloves) fights Jake Ellenberger (red gloves) during the TUF tournament of champions at Palms Casino. Mandatory Credit: Tracy Lee-USA TODAY SportsFast forward 25 years and Masvidal is writing the most prolific chapter of his career in the fight game. He's notched three consecutive victories, all of which came in a six-month span where he earned wins over some of the toughest competitors in the welterweight ranks. Undoubtedly the biggest win of his current run came against highly touted veteran Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox 23 back in January.Masvidal pieced up and leveled "Cowboy" in under two full rounds and stamped a virtuoso performance of punishment produced through skill and tenacity. In the moment's after the referee stepped in to stop the bout, Masvidal started to notice the world around him make a drastic shift.The long-awaited respect he knew was due was suddenly paid in full, and the mega-watt beam of the spotlight hit flush."It's crazy, man," Masvidal said. "I've been a professional for thirteen years and I've been fighting out of Miami from the start. It's not like I switched cities. I've always been here, and when I would go out I'd run into a few people here and there who would come up to me and say I was their favorite fighter. But after the Cowboy thing it all changed."Now I try not to even go to the local places to get breakfast, but I really wanted some breakfast today. I was held up for like twelve minutes by people who wanted pictures or asking about the next fight. They say I'm their favorite fighter but they don't even know when the next fight is. It's all crazy to me."For a long time no one messed with me or bothered me," he added. "I could go about my business or go to the supermarket and maybe one person would approach me. For the longest time it was like that and I loved it because I could do my job and live a normal life where I take my kids to the movies. But now it's different and it's getting a little weird."Jul 30, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Jorge Masvidal (blue gloves) reacts after the first round against Ross Pearson (not shown) during UFC 201 at Phillips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY SportsAnd while Masvidal's profile skyrocketed following his victory over Cerrone in Denver, it didn't slow his roll in the slightest. Attention and big money fights bring a strange effect in the fight game and the veteran scrapper has witnessed many of his peers have gotten twisted up by the way adoration and scorn seesaw on the brink.Being a man who has never needed anything from anyone, only what he knows he's earned with heart and fire, Masvidal knows he can weather the storm of becoming a star unaffected. He knows this because there's nothing about fame or celebrity that appeals to him.Masvidal simply loves to get to the ruckus."I'm a real fighter and there are a few others out there," Masvidal said. "What I mean by that, and I think I explained this the last time we talked, but a lot of guys got into the system coming through The Ultimate Fighter and things like that. When I got into fighting the pinnacle wasn't to be rich and famous it was just to fight."Back then you could make a decent living if you were the champion, but if you were scrub city you would have to have other jobs. I never got into this to be famous or have any of the craziness that comes with it. I got into it because I love fighting. Even if I miraculously got the winning lottery ticket, I'd still be fighting because I love it that much."Masvidal reaching a status he felt was long overdue was nothing accidental. A hustler's mindset, born and bred, Masvidal figured out what it would take to get to a place there is no true road map to reaching. Simply put: Masvidal wanted the big money fights and a chance to compete for a world title, but knew it would never come just shuffling through the deck as he'd done for the past three years under the UFC banner.Therefore Masvidal picked his shots, and one target has already been eliminated in Cerrone. Next on his list is Demian Maia, a suffocating grappler who just may be the best jiu-jitsu practitioner to ever compete in MMA, and the two top welterweights will collide at UFC 211 in Dallas on May 13.Jan 28, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Donald Cerrone (red gloves) competes against Jorge Masvidal (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports"I've been waiting for the big money fights for a long time," Masvidal said. "I've been sitting back watching these guys who are getting paid XYZ dollars, and I'm not hating, but on some real sh*t I'm sitting here like, "That dude sucks, man. What the f*ck? Why aren't they coming to me to fight these dudes?'"We are talking about fighting and I need to get paid because that's what I'm good at. I needed to get there so my manager and I sat down last year and took a look at the situation and find out who were two guys I could fight that would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt where my skill levels stand."Cowboy was seen as one of the best strikers at 170, and Maia is by far the best grappler, not even in the welterweight division, but the entire roster in my opinion. Just look at this current streak he's on. Who has done that before? So to beat guys like Maia and Cowboy, especially back-to-back, you have to be a certain type of fighter. You can't be one dimensional and beat both of them back-to-back. You have to be versatile and that's who I am, and that's what I'm going to prove. I'm going to show everyone just how deep my skill set is."Maia and Cerrone are fighters who most would avoid but Masvidal is going straight for their throats because that's what it will take to bring the biggest gains. And while Maia presents different challenges than Cerrone brought back in January, Masvidal is confident he will emerge victorious in the Lone Star state."I'm never going to say I would make the NCAA's, but in my own right in MMA wrestling I'm a standout both offensively and defensively. Just check the stats. I had killer stats in Strikeforce and have killer stats in the UFC. I have good hips and I've wrestled at the defensive level for quite some time, but I can turn it on the offensive as well. That said, defensive wrestling is where I feel I really set myself apart from other strikers."There aren't too many strikers who can do so at a high level and worked the defensive game at the same time. You have to be a guy who is hard to take down, but if that does happen be able to pop right back up and get back after it. So at the end of the day it's not just great striking abilities I have, but the wrestling to back it up, which makes my striking stand out. My wrestling has been on point forever and whatever Maia brings I'll be more than ready for."Jan 28, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Donald Cerrone (red gloves) reacts after his match against Jorge Masvidal (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY SportsShould Masvidal defeat Maia at UFC 211, there will be nothing standing in his path to a title shot. All obstacles will be pushed aside and current titleholder Tyron Woodley will materialize as the final challenge standing between him and championship gold. And while a lot needs to happen before title dreams can come to fruition, just reaching the point he currently stands would have seemed like a one in a million long shot to most coming from the place he calls home.Gang violence and the street hustle has claimed many from his neighborhood over the past three decades, but Masvidal's ability to keep his chin down, hands up and his eyes on the prize has allowed him to carve his own path to success. Most importantly for the man himself is the fact he's done it his own way every step of the journey, and win, lose or draw, that's something he will forever be proud of.Masvidal will forever be his own man who is beholden to no one, and hate it or love it, that's never going to change."I'm just being myself out there and if they label me the bad guy I'll run with it and be the greatest bad guy anybody has ever seen. But at the end of the day I'm just being myself. I'm just being Gamebred."