Three months prior to his last outing, Masvidal finished Matt Lee with a barrage of strikes in one round of action during Strikeforce’s inaugural event at the world famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, California on September 29, 2007.  

“Things are really starting to fall into place,” commented Masvidal on his surge that has him knocking on the door of a top ten ranking in the sport’s lightweight division.  His most impressive showing to date was his second round TKO of The Ultimate Fighter season 5 contender, Joe Lauzon, on April 30, 2005.

“A lot of other sports like boxing have amateur (ranks) so when you get to the pros you already know more or less what you’re doing,” explained Masvidal.  “For MMA, it’s different.  You’ve got to learn on the job.  So, it was just a matter of time before I put everything together.”

A former boxing star for University of Nevada at Reno, the 24-year-old Healy made a phenomenal run to the NCAA Division I championship in 2004 by defeating four consecutive opponents, including a championship round rival from The United States Air Force Academy. 

“I was the underdog,” said Healy.  “Nobody knew who I was or expected me to win – kind of like this fight with Jorge.  But, I worked hard and got it done.  I’m hard nosed.  I stay in your face and I don’t back down from anybody.” 

In 2006, Healy relocated to Portland, Oregon where he found a mentor in Lindland, arguably the number one middleweight fighter in the world.  The rising star has since diversified his skill set to include a healthy wrestling foundation.

“He leads by example,” said Healy of Lindland.  “He shows up to practice every day, works as hard as anybody.  So, it’s nice to see what it takes to be a champion and one of the best fighters in the world.”

Tickets for the event, priced at $150, $75 and $35, are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations (253-627-TIXS), the Tacoma Dome box office, and Ticketmaster.com.

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