Will Jorge Masvidal lose some of his stardust if he comes up short at UFC 251

Jorge Masvidal knows how tough it is to become a star in MMA. It took him 47 professional fights to get the stardom that he has achieved with a spectacular 5-second knockout of Ben Askren.

The 'BMF' title and the win over superstar Nate Diaz in Jorge Masvidal's next fight helped as well. But the real question for Jorge Masvidal will be whether he enjoys the same level of popularity even if he loses his fight against Kamaru Usman.

Fighters are always judged based upon their last performance rather than the whole body of work and a veteran like Jorge Masvidal will understand it better than most. Josh Barnett spoke well on this issue on the Joe Rogan Experience, highlighting how fighters lose popularity among fans after losing a fight.

Jorge Masvidal can always fall back upon the decision of taking the fight on short notice but it wouldn't matter much to those who matter, the fans. Conor McGregor, the biggest star in the history of the sport, has also faced the consequences of taking risky match-ups.

Conor McGregor's losing bouts has led to the UFC receiving superstars from the likes of Nate Diaz to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

McGregor was the reason behind Nate Diaz's explosion as a superstar with that unforgettable octagon interview. While Khabib may have already been a star in the middle east, a win over Conor McGregor made him the most followed Russian celebrity on Instagram.

While Mcgregor has retained his popularity, it's nowhere near the level of 2015-16 when he was tearing through the featherweight division. Joanna Jedrzeczyk, a team-mate of Jorge Masvidal, felt the same treatment when she lost her title to underdog Rose Namajunas at UFC 217.

Luke Rockhold is going through something similar and has never looked the same since losing his title. Chris Weidman, the man from whom Rockhold took the title, has gone through the same fate as well.

The Exceptions to the Rule

Diaz Brothers and Conor McGregor seem like the only fighters whose popularity isn't seemingly affected by a loss.

There are only so many fighters in the UFC whose popularity doesn't seem to be affected by the results of their fight. The Diaz Brothers come under that category, having build-up a legion of loyal fans throughout their extensive MMA career. Conor McGregor isn't affected too much by his losses although his they do give his opponents a massive spike in terms of their profile.

Jorge Masvidal's history as a streetfighter gives him 'street cred' and likely puts him in the same bracket as the Diaz brothers. Nick Diaz's loss against GSP never hurt him much and Nick even went onto to fight for the middleweight title after that.

Jorge Masvidal will also probably go down the same road with fans being more loyal towards the 'Gamebred' in a similar situation like the Diaz Brothers.