Tag: leon edwards

Leon Edwards Says He’s Paying The Price For Final Minute Of Diaz Fight

Leon Edwards feels UFC brass are looking for reasons to keep him from his title shot.  One would think that a competitor who hasn’t lost in his last ten outings would be a shoo-in for a shot at the champion. Yet, Leon Edwards (19-3-1) feels the promotion he fights for is attempting to deny him […]

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Leon Edwards feels UFC brass are looking for reasons to keep him from his title shot. 

One would think that a competitor who hasn’t lost in his last ten outings would be a shoo-in for a shot at the champion. Yet, Leon Edwards (19-3-1) feels the promotion he fights for is attempting to deny him his glory. 

Edwards’ last outing saw him outclass fan-favorite Nate Diaz for five rounds at UFC 263. Diaz offered little in the way of offense for his opponent but a single blow is what most people remember. Diaz, who is more known for his volume punching than his outright power, landed a left hand across the face of Edwards. The Brit was noticeably staggered and struggled to maintain his balance momentarily. 

Diaz pointed and laughed but was unable to capitalize on the blow. Edwards went on to win but the punch led to memes and internet clamor. 

Nate Diaz Leon Edwards
Jun 12, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Leon Edwards moves in for a hit as Nate Diaz defends during UFC 263 at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: IMAGN-452019 ORIG FILE ID: 20210612_gav_su5_197.jpg

When asked if he was paying the price for that final minute on The MMA Hour, Edwards was to the point. 

“For sure, 100%. As soon as I left the Octagon, I said this straight away to Tim and to my coaches, Fuck, I know they’re finding any excuse to not give me what I’ve earned. When that happened in the last minute, I was like, ‘Oh, fuck’s sakes. I know it’s gonna be a harder road now to get to my title shot. So I feel like they’re trying to use that as an excuse.”

Edwards was linked to a bout with Jorge Masvidal last week but seemed adamant about waiting for a championship fight. “Rocky” now seems open to the idea of fighting Masvidal at the end of the year. This would keep Edwards active while the world awaits Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman 2 to play out in November at UFC 268. 

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Jorge Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards is next, per Dana White

jorge masvidal dana white leon edwardsUFC president Dana White shined some light on what could be next for welterweight contenders Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards during a recent interview with Barstool Sports’ Robbie Fox. White is in the middle of a busy International Fight Week in Las Vegas, as we are just days away from a stacked card at UFC […]

jorge masvidal dana white leon edwards

UFC president Dana White shined some light on what could be next for welterweight contenders Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards during a recent interview with Barstool Sports’ Robbie Fox.

White is in the middle of a busy International Fight Week in Las Vegas, as we are just days away from a stacked card at UFC 266. There aren’t any marquee welterweight matchups on the card after it was announced that Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler will take place at middleweight.

That leaves Masvidal and Edwards in a peculiar situation. The old rivals have gone back and forth on social media for the past few years and many around the MMA community have wanted them to fight. The bad blood between Masvidal and Edwards began following their backstage altercation in London a few years back.

After Fox asked White about what could be next for both men, White hinted that the promotion is targeting a Masvidal vs. Edwards matchup at a later date.

Edwards is fresh off his unanimous decision win over Nate Diaz earlier this year at UFC 263 and remains right in the middle of the welterweight title picture. Masvidal originally targeted a return to the cage for later this year but doesn’t have a fight lined up right now after back-to-back losses to Kamaru Usman.

Edwards originally didn’t sound very interested in a fight with Masvidal and instead wanted to wait for a title shot, but he appeared to change his mind in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani. Masvidal has seemed indifferent about a fight with Edwards but it makes sense for both if they want to stay in the title shot conversation.

Usman will face Colby Covington at UFC 268 in a title rematch, and the hypothetical winner of Edwards vs. Masvidal could get the next shot at the belt. Edwards would more than likely have a better chance at getting a title shot than Masvidal who just fought in back-to-back championship bouts.

What do you think about a potential Leon Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal matchup?

Leon Edwards: I Need That Dana White Privilege

Leon Edwards believes he is in need of some “Dana White privilege.” Edwards is the number three-ranked UFC welterweight. He has gone 9-0, 1 NC in his last 10 outings. He hasn’t lost a bout since Dec. 2015. The loss came at the hands of current UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. Despite his long string […]

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Leon Edwards believes he is in need of some “Dana White privilege.”

Edwards is the number three-ranked UFC welterweight. He has gone 9-0, 1 NC in his last 10 outings. He hasn’t lost a bout since Dec. 2015. The loss came at the hands of current UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman.

Despite his long string of success inside the Octagon, “Rocky” has yet to receive a title shot. During an appearance on MMAFighting’s The MMA Hour, Edwards told host Ariel Helwani the one thing he believes he may need to get over the hump.

“I can not answer that, Ariel, to be fair. Like you said, it’s been, what, six years since my last loss? Colby went and got beat by the champion, went and fought Woodley, the fight ended by injury, sat for over a year, and got a title shot? When I go out and get 10 fights in a row, ‘He needs one more. He needs one more.’ Every time, it’s one more. And I feel they’re trying to get me beat, but I cannot lose, and I will not lose. I truly believe that I will be the next world champion, and they’re trying to hold me back from it. But it’s coming. I truly believe it.

“I need that Dana White privilege…”

Edwards was last seen in action back in June. He competed in a five-round welterweight tilt with Nate Diaz at UFC 263. Leon Edwards won the fight via unanimous decision. It was mostly a one-sided fight until Edwards got rocked by a one-two combination near the end of the fight.

Edwards was passed over for a title shot in favor of Colby Covington. Covington will get a second crack at Usman’s 170-pound gold in the main event of UFC 268. The event will take place inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Continue Reading Leon Edwards: I Need That Dana White Privilege at MMA News.

Leon Edwards Reverses Course On Possible Jorge Masvidal Fight

It appears Leon Edwards has changed his stance on a potential clash with Jorge Masvidal. For many, Edwards vs. Masvidal is the fight to make. There just seems to be too much history to ignore. Back in 2019, Masvidal punched Leon Edwards backstage following a UFC London event. A bout between the two has yet […]

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It appears Leon Edwards has changed his stance on a potential clash with Jorge Masvidal.

For many, Edwards vs. Masvidal is the fight to make. There just seems to be too much history to ignore. Back in 2019, Masvidal punched Leon Edwards backstage following a UFC London event. A bout between the two has yet to materialize.

There have been rumblings about a potential matchup between the two for early 2022 but Edwards seemingly poured cold water on the idea. “Rocky” took to his Twitter account to insist that his next fight will be for the UFC Welterweight Championship.

Edwards spoke to Ariel Helwani on MMAFighting’s The MMA Hour and he said he’s now open to the idea of fighting Masvidal (via LowKickMMA.com).

“Yeah, for sure. November, December. I’ll be on (to fight against Jorge Masvidal). Apart from a title shot, there’s no other fight than him. Everyone knows this.

“I’m not scared of him. I’ve asked three years in a row to fight this guy and he turned down every single time.”

Edwards has gone 9-0, 1 NC in his last 10 outings. He’s coming off a unanimous decision victory over Nate Diaz. It was a near-flawless performance for “Rocky.” What stopped Edwards from having a perfect outing was a solid one-two combination from Diaz that had him wobbly near the end of the fight.

Masvidal is hoping to shake off a brutal knockout loss in his second failed bid for the UFC Welterweight Championship. “Gamebred” has his lights shut off courtesy of Kamaru Usman in their rematch back in April.

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Leon Edwards Pivots on Jorge Masvidal Fight, But Unsure it Will Happen

Leon Edwards Jorge MasvidalUFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards has changed his mind on a possible fight with his old rival Jorge Masvidal, but he’s still unsure as to whether or not the BMF belt holder will ultimately sign off on it. Edwards is fresh off of his huge win over Stockton’s own Nate Diaz at UFC 263, earning […]

Leon Edwards Jorge Masvidal

UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards has changed his mind on a possible fight with his old rival Jorge Masvidal, but he’s still unsure as to whether or not the BMF belt holder will ultimately sign off on it.

Edwards is fresh off of his huge win over Stockton’s own Nate Diaz at UFC 263, earning a win by unanimous decision despite a last-second flurry from Diaz in the fifth and final round. Edwards has long been considered a potential welterweight title challenger but has only competed sparingly over the past couple of years.

Despite last week hinting that he wasn’t interested in a Masvidal bout and was focused on a future title shot, Edwards has changed his mind and is open to a fight on the Nov. 6 card at UFC 268.

“Yeah, for sure. November, December,” Edwards told Ariel Helwani. “I’ll be on (to fight against Jorge Masvidal). Apart from a title shot, there’s no other fight than him. Everyone knows this.”

“I’m not scared of him. I’ve asked three years in a row to fight this guy and he turned down every single time.”

Masvidal and Edwards have quite a bit of history between the two of them after an all-out brawl took place during a UFC London card between the two of them in 2018. Edwards vs. Masvidal was expected to happen next, but negotiations never materialized after the incident and Masvidal moved on to knock out Ben Askren in just seconds.

Edwards has had a tough road to getting a fight since defeating Rafael dos Anjos in 2019. Masvidal is coming off of back-to-back losses to the welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Masvidal has previously said he would like to return in November anyway, and it could only be a matter of time until we hear developments on a possible fight with Edwards at MSG.

What do you think about a potential Leon Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal fight?

Michael Bisping Has Some Strong Advice For Countryman Leon Edwards

Michael Bisping has weighed in on Leon Edwards’ comments by advising him to take the Jorge Masvidal fight as opposed to waiting for a shot at the title. Although he dominated Nate Diaz for almost the entirety of their fight at UFC 263 earlier this year, Leon Edwards was rocked in the final minute of […]

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Michael Bisping has weighed in on Leon Edwards’ comments by advising him to take the Jorge Masvidal fight as opposed to waiting for a shot at the title.

Although he dominated Nate Diaz for almost the entirety of their fight at UFC 263 earlier this year, Leon Edwards was rocked in the final minute of the fifth round, causing a large portion of fans to believe this single-handedly cost him a title shot.

Despite being on a six-year unbeaten run, Edwards has yet again been overlooked for a title shot as the welterweight king, Kamaru Usman, is set to defend his 170lb strap against Colby Covington at UFC 268.

Instead of being active, Edwards seems content to wait on the sidelines for his opportunity at a title shot, but Michael Bisping believes the Brit should settle his differences with Jorge Masvidal first.

During a recent episode of his Believe You Me Podcast, Michael Bisping spoke on the Leon Edwards situation and gave his opinion on what the 30-year-old should do next.

“Leon Edwards came out publicly and said he doesn’t want to fight Jorge Masvidal. He says that he’s got no interest in fighting him because he [Masvidal] is on a two-fight skid… It just frustrates me a little bit,” Bisping stated. “That’s the fight you should definitely go after… Let’s remember Masvidal assaulted him [Edwards] and punched him backstage. As a man, you should fight him [Masvidal].”

Will we see Edwards take on Jorge Masvidal sometime in the near future?

Continue Reading Michael Bisping Has Some Strong Advice For Countryman Leon Edwards at MMA News.