In another twist in the Leon Edwards/Jorge Masvidal saga, Edwards is now adamant that his next fight will be for the world title.
Ever since the viral “three-piece and a soda” that Jorge Masvidal served Leon Edwards in 2019, fans have latched on to the idea of the two settling their beef in the cage instead of on the streets. Naturally, no one wanted the match more than Edwards himself after being assaulted for the world to see. Unfortunately for the Brit, he was unable to gain Masvidal’s interest in putting the fight together. Whenever Edwards’ name was brought up to “Gamebred,” his response was typically one that claimed he already defeated Edwards.
Two years and two consecutive losses later, Masvidal finally opened the door to a bout against Edwards. While Masvidal did not single Edwards out, he was one of the names that Masvidal pinpointed as someone who could get him back in the title picture with a win. Edwards volunteered his services during this July exchange, stating that he would be ready to roll in November or December.
Leon Edwards Changes Tone Despite The UFC’s Plans
Dana White has also expressed an interest in putting a grudge match between Masvidal and Edwards together. And according to MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, the UFC was looking to finally book the fight sometime in early 2022 once Masvidal meets with the UFC brass in the near future.
However, in a Wednesday social media post, Edwards changed his tone and firmly put his foot down on what would need to be at stake in his fight.
“My next fight will be for the world title. I don’t want to hear nothing about a guy coming off 2-fight skid and god KO’d his last fight,” Edwards wrote.
Leon Edwards is currently enjoying a nine-fight winning streak (one no contest), with his most recent bout being a victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 263 in June. Meanwhile, Masvidal’s most recent victory also came over Diaz, only this was two years ago. To Edwards’ point, Masvidal has since been defeated by welterweight champion Kamaru Usman on back-to-back occasions, the second loss coming by way of second-round KO.
Is this the right play by Leon Edwards?
