“I’m fighting Gilbert, then I’m fighting Leon.”
As far as Dana White is concerned, Colby Covington will be next in line to face reigning champion Leon Edwards for the undisputed welterweight title. But according to “BMF” champion Jorge Masvidal, that isn’t the case.
“I’m fighting Gilbert, then I’m fighting Leon. I’m telling you that’s how it’s going to play out. I just got some insider information,” Masvidal told MMA Junkie Radio.
Masvidal (35-16) didn’t further elaborate on how he got the scoop, but he did list down what he thought made him qualified to be the next in line for the belt.
“Me and Leon have the history. Also being that I’ve never missed weight, I’ve never had a drug failure as far as, like, steroids and things like that. All these things that I’ve been doing right in my career, plus the level of caliber of opponents that I faced.
“And, I’m one of the biggest pay-per-view draws that is active and is fighting top-named guys, left and right. Now that Jon Jones is back, he’s another guy to add in the mix. But when Jon Jones was sitting out, it’s basically Conor, me, and Jon that are pushing those numbers, and Jon was out for a minute.
“So for a while, it’s been me breaking these records and stuff. And I’m eager to get in there with Gilbert and utterly dismantle him to the point that everybody’s begging for me to go and fight Leon.”
Edwards and Masvidal do have a history in the form of a backstage dustup in London in 2019, all of which was caught on video. And given that “Rocky” fully disagrees with the Covington matchup, Masvidal knows he is the sensible challenger.
“Leon’s not an idiot. He knows. He’s already fought and defended the title and stuff. He knows what a guy like me brings to the table, besides the added beef that we have and the amount of pay-per-views that we could generate together, fighting for that title.
“I think it’s epic. It’s a movie ending for me and everybody involved with me. And then after that, go and challenge these other wrestlers and beat the f–ng brakes off of them.”
As for Burns, Masvidal gave his usual scenario of how the fight plays out.
“I know he’s good in the jiu-jitsu world, but his wrestling ain’t that. I’ve only been focusing on the last six months, that I can deal with these wrestlers efficiently, get to positions efficiently, not waste as much energy.
“I’m going to paint my Van Gogh on Gilbert’s face. Elbows, knees, kicks, takedown defense, takedown offense – all that good stuff. I’m going to bring it.”
Masvidal and Burns will co-headline UFC 287. It takes place on April 8th in “Gamebred’s” hometown in Miami.
About the author: Milan Ordoñez has been covering combat sports since 2012 and has been part of the Bloody Elbow staff since 2016. He’s also competed in amateur mixed martial arts and submission grappling tournaments. (full bio)