Tag: UFC 269

UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards has claimed that bitter rival Jorge Masvidal turned down five rounds for their upcoming fight at UFC 269.

In a matchup over two years in the making, Edwards and Masvidal will finally enter the Octagon together at the final UFC pay-per-view of 2021. The Englishman was last in action at UFC 263 in June. Despite extending his unbeatens streak to 10 with a unanimous decision victory over Nate Diaz, “Rocky” still found himself behind Colby Covington in the queue for a title shot, and was encouraged to remain active by UFC President Dana White.

Masvidal, meanwhile, will be entering the December 11 clash off the back of consecutive championship defeats to current welterweight king Kamaru Usman. After being controlled for five rounds in Abu Dhabi last Summer, “Gamebred” had a second crack at dethroning “The Nigerian Nightmare” at UFC 261 in April. Despite having a full camp, the Miami native was brutally knocked out in the second round. Masvidal will now look to move one step closer to a trilogy against Usman with an impressive performance against Edwards.

Despite the likes of Daniel Cormier advising him to wait for the title shot many believe he deserves, Edwards is seemingly happy to net the biggest pay check of his career, and in the process, finally get his hands on Masvidal.

The pair’s rivalry began after a backstage altercation at a UFC Fight Night event in London in 2019. After being interrupted by Edwards during an interview, the former title challenger bust the Jamaican-born Brit open with a fast combination. Edwards, who recently claimed the promotion had to hide Masvidal and fly him out of the country to avoid payback, told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he can’t wait to finally face the opponent he says he’s been pushing to fight for nearly three years.

“For me, they came with the right figures. We went back-and-forth for about two weeks. I was just trying to get the right situation that obviously best for me and my team. We ended up getting it done, you know, so I am looking forward to finally getting my hands on him, you know, it’s been, like i said, it’s been almost three years. I’ve been pushing for this fight for three years, and I’m looking forward to it.”

“Rocky” admitted that he was surprised Masvidal didn’t run away from the bout. However, he claimed the 36-year-old did run from one stipulation; a five-round fight.

“I thought he would’ve went running to be fair. Last three years, all he did was make excuses. I asked the UFC for a five-round fight with him. I think he turned around and said he wants three rounds, so that’s the reason we’re at three rounds now. Either way, a fight’s a fight. Put me in there against him and we’ll see the outcome.

“I haven’t fought three rounds now for a long time Ariel, I’m a championship fighter. My last five fights were probably all five rounds, so, I am looking forward to doing the three. I’ll be able to sprint at three, so, I am looking forward to it.”

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 269, Leon Edwards or Jorge Masvidal?

Continue Reading Edwards Claims Masvidal Turned Down Five Rounds For UFC 269 Fight at MMA News.

There is certainly no love lost between Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards.

After more than two years of buildup, stemming from a backstage scrap, Masvidal is finally set to face Edwards at UFC 269 on December 11th. Naturally, the two have been going back and forth since the fight has been announced and it has certainly not let up.

Speaking on The MMA Hour, Masvidal absolutely tore into his upcoming opponent and his supposed tough upbringing in Birmingham, England. Here, the BMF champ questioned the validity of his life on the streets compared to the experiences that “Gamebred” himself had, stating that if this were the case, there would be a lot of things different in Edwards’s demeanor after the two had their infamous backstage altercation in 2019.

“I’m not going to diss Birmingham or nothing, but I don’t care where he comes from because where I come from, and how I grew up, that guy wouldn’t have lived one day in it. In the actual heat of the moment, he never would’ve survived. He just would have stayed home the whole time, waiting for his parents to get WIFI for him to develop social skills because this guy’s a coward,” Masvidal said.

“What he did to me in England showed me everything that I ever needed to know about this guy. He can say that he grew up in this or that place, but he didn’t. He comes from a place that’s not what he says. I’m telling you man, this guy is not who he says he is at all. Nobody that is like that, that comes from these places, acts like he does. He’s a coward and I”m going to say it to his face before and after I beat his ass.

“You’re talking all this crap and then when somebody gets in your face you’re like hesitant about it. Like, you know exactly what’s going to happen if you come from these places. You see I’m walking towards you and you’re walking towards me, and you’re going to say I assaulted you? That’s coward shit. He was saying assault and he originally wanted to call the cops on me, but what would’ve happened? That wouldn’t have looked good for his brand, and ‘I’m such a tough guy’ thing that he’s trying to proclaim. So that’s why he didn’t want to call the cops, but originally they wanted to press charges on me, when you started this altercation.”

While Jorge Masvidal maintains that this fight with Leon Edwards is not personal, it clearly appears that they do not like one another. Lucky for the fans, they will finally square off in the Octagon before the year is over.

Continue Reading Masvidal Bashes Edwards: ‘This Guy Is Not Who He Says He Is At All’ at MMA News.