Former UFC double champ Daniel Cormier has advised Leon Edwards to pay Jorge Masvidal back with some of his own medicine.
Leon Edwards, who recently became the UFC welterweight champion, has recently stated that he would not be against making his first title defense against long-time rival Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal. Edwards and Masvidal have previously traded blows, although not inside the UFC octagon.
Backstage at a UFC London event, Masvidal landed the now notorious ‘three piece and a soda’ combination on Edwards. The stage seemed perfectly set for a classic rival vs. rival clash, similar to how the UFC promoted Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Masvidal would instead be matched up with Ben Asken, and then later Nate Diaz, as he basked in the fame he had acquired as a result of a KO victory over Darren Till.
Edwards was left to face off against the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, failing to capture that same limelight that Masvidal held at the time.
Now times have changed, Masvidal is on a losing streak, whilst Edwards is coming off an incredible title-winning KO over the former P4P No.1.
Daniel Cormier advises Leon Edwards to ‘big league’ Jorge Masvidal
Despite his bad run of form, Jorge Masvidal remains a big name in the sport, which may well explain why Leon Edwards is still interested in a fight with him. However, speaking on the DC & RC Show, Daniel Cormier has urged ‘Rocky’ to avoid the Masvidal fight, and to give ‘Gamebred’ the same treatment he had received when he was on top.
“Bro, don’t fight him because for two years – when he was the man, he could not say your name. All of a sudden he’s like ‘if you become the champ’… he should not fight Jorge Masvidal. He literally should just big league him and not even say his name.”
“Why would you do that when a guy struck you backstage but then never fought you? Then, all of a sudden, you’re the man and he wants to fight you.” (Quotes via Sportskeeda).
Edwards’ next fight seems much more likely to be against the man he just knocked out, Kamaru Usman. Both Edwards and Usman hold a win over the other, so a trilogy bout, in front of an English crowd, seems the most logical next step.
Who would you rather see Leon Edwards fight next?