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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is expected to give Gilbert Burns the next crack at the 170-pound crown, currently worn by welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, assuming “Durinho” recovers from coronavirus with no complications.
In the interim, the promotion will need to keep its top contenders busy, including No. 3-ranked Leon Edwards. As luck would have it, “Rocky” already has a built-in beef with welterweight veteran and “BMF” champion Jorge Masvidal.
“I truly believe I’ll stop him,” Edwards told South China Morning Post. “He’s nothing special. I knew that before he got beat by Usman. He fought Ben [Askren], Ben was shit. Nate Diaz is a journeyman. He beat Darren Till. That’s the only good win he’s had, Darren Till. Everyone else [he’s beaten] are average fighters, and he’s got this mad hype around him. I truly believe I would smoke him.”
Edwards first called for a Masvidal fight back in early 2018, then scuffled with “Gamebred” behind the scenes roughly a year later. There was talk of pairing them off last fall but according to “Rocky,” Masvidal turned the fight down.
While they are currently separated by just one spot in the division rankings, there was also an attempt to pair Edwards with former champion Tyron Woodley, so it will be interesting to see how matchmakers sort through some of the 170-pound clutter in the coming weeks.