Reigning UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards may have a trilogy title rubber match against former champion, Kamaru Usman awaiting him at UFC 286 on March 18., however, ahead of his homecoming, he has urged arch-rival, Jorge Masvidal to once more score a victory to set up the pair’s grudge match.
Edwards, the current undisputed welterweight champion, is slated to headline UFC 286 on March 18. against two-time foe, Usman at The O2 Arena in London – attempting to secure his first successful defense of 170lbs gold.
The Birmingham native managed to avenge his defeat to Usman back in 2015 with a stunning, fifth round high-kick KO back in August of last year, handing the Auchi native his first promotional loss, knocking him from the pound-for-pound number one perch, and minting himself as the welterweight champion.
Leon Edwards chomps at bit for Jorge Masvidal grudge match
However, ahead of their rubber clash in two months’ time, Edwards has sights on eventually settling his score with Miami veteran, Masvidal for undisputed gold, having shared a rivalry with the latter since an infamous backstage brawl in 2019 post-UFC London.
“I don’t like him (Jorge Masvidal) that much, but I’m rooting for him to win so I can fight him,” Leon Edwards told Michael Bisping on the Believe You Me podcast. “He just keeps losing so it’s hard to make the fight make sense. I even said if he went out there and fought in like December, January – (fight) Gilbert (Burns) or somebody, beat one of them, then I’ll fight you in March.”
“Then (Kamaru) Usman in the summer or something, let him rest his hands a bit I’ll fight you in March, but he didn’t even do that,” Leon Edwards explained. “We’ll see. Skillset-wise, it’s two different levels. His career is doing that, mine’s doing this. It’s hard to make the fight make sense right now. But that’s a fight I need to happen and want to happen.”
In the midst of a three-fight losing run which includes back-to-back title challenge losses to common-foe, Usman – the latter of which in a brutal one-punch KO loss, Masvidal has yet to return to active competition since dropping a unanimous decision loss to rival, Colby Covington back in March of last year.