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‘Gamebred’ didn’t mince words when asked about turning down a fight with fellow welterweight contender Edwards.
One of the hottest fights the UFC could make right now for hardcore fans is Jorge Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards. Both men have been on a tear, with Edwards on an 8 fight win streak and Masvidal holding back to back highlight reel knockouts over top welterweights. The two even got into a fistfight backstage at a UFC event in March which helped Masvidal cement his position as a dude not to be messed with.
But simply put, Masvidal isn’t interested in facing Edwards right now. He’s got his eyes firmly set on a UFC title shot, and it’ll take more than words to divert him from that course. According to his manager, “Gamebred” already has a shot at the welterweight belt in writing after his win over Ben Askren. Don’t worry, though … Jorge says he’ll ‘eliminate Edwards off the face of the earth’ soon enough.
“I’m going to kick his ass. It’s not going to be on his terms or whenever the f**k he wants it,” Masvidal said during a UFC Uruguay media scrum. “It’ll always be on mine. That’s what bothers him so much inside. He’s got to look at this interview and people are going to call him and tell him. You’re a f**king nobody. I run this show. You listen to me. When I say I’m going to kick your f**king ass, I’m going to kick your f**king ass.”
”I’m going to get paid now. Like I said, 16 years I’ve been chasing this dream of getting the belt. You think I’m going to let some f**king bug like this guy even slightly throw me off my road, my destiny towards my greatness? Towards the belt? I’m going to get the belt and I’m going to eliminate him off the face of the earth. I’m going to wipe the floor with that guy. It’s going to happen. I swear to you it’s going to happen. It’s just not going to be on his terms.”
Masvidal sounds excited for the competition though and hopes all the hype surrounding the fight only makes Edwards more of a threat in the eyes of the media and spectators. You know, so he can get the appropriate credit when he steals Leon Edwards’ soul in the cage.
”Everyone was saying Ben [Askren] was an amazing fighter before I fought him with all this grappling stuff,” Masvidal said. “But after I five-seconded his ass, they’re saying he’s overrated. I’m going to beat Leon so bad, they’re going to say the same s**t about him. They’re going to say he’s overrated.”
”There’s not one bone in my body that is not agreeing with what I’m saying. I’m going to murder that guy when we fight. He’s a scrub. You are a scrub, Leon, and you f**king know it. The fight will take place when I f**king say so. So sit there and eat those words. I’m going to break that guy’s face.”
The only downside to all this is it could mean a while before we see “Gamebred” in the cage again. Welterweight champ Kamaru Usman is set to fight Colby Covington for the belt sometime in the fall, so Masvidal getting next would leave him out of action until the first quarter of 2020. If the UFC wants him in there sooner, they’ll have to pony up some dough.
“It would have to exceed expectations by a large number for me not to fight for the title,” Masvidal said when asked if there was the possibility of another non-title fight. “I’ve been trying to get the title for 16 years now. That’s a lot of summers. A lot of nights. A lot of winters. A lot of running while it’s raining. Sleeping in cars. Sleeping in the gym. Living in different houses. It’s been a long road. I want to get compensated for the incredibly long road. So, if I’m not fighting for the title, obviously I would want to have a very handsome thing.”
Maybe we’re being selfish, but we hope things get handsome and Masvidal rides again before the end of the year. Sooner would definitely be better than later in our books when it comes to sorting this feud with Leon Edwards out.