Getty Kamaru Usman & Jorge Masvidal
Kamaru Usman’s two-time UFC opponent Jorge Masvidal chimed in after “The Nigerian Nightmare” lost his 170-pound championship to Leon Edwards Saturday night. And it appears “Gamebred” is eyeing a title shot.
Edwards and Usman squared off during the UFC 278 main event in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a rematch over six years in the making. After nearly five full rounds, it looked like The Nigerian Nightmare was cruising toward a second victory over the Englishman, however Edwards turned the tables in a big way by feinting and coming over with a left-legged head kick.
The Nigerian Nightmare was knocked unconscious and no follow-up strikes were needed by “Rocky.” The referee waved off the match and Edwards became the first-ever Jamaican-born UFC champion and the second English fighter to hoist gold inside the Octagon.
He also improved his unbeaten streak to 11 by handing Usman his first loss as a UFC athlete.
Well, Masvidal reacted to the match via Instagram. He posted a Story on his account, writing: “I heard we going to London again.” The fan-favorite fighter also included three chicken leg emojis and a soda emoji, giving a nod to the “three-piece and a soda line” he coined after he struck Edwards multiple times during a backstage altercation in London in 2019.
See a screenshot of Masvidal’s Instagram Story below:
Masvidal took to Twitter later also, writing: “Styles makes fights.”
Styles makes fights
“I will be the ww champ of the ufc soon,” Masvidal then tweeted on Monday.
I will be the ww champ of the ufc soon
Edwards Had Said Before the Fight He Wanted to Defend His Title Again Masvidal in England
When Edwards appeared on Ariel Helwani’s “The MMA Hour” in June, he said he wanted to defeat Usman and then make his first title defense against Masvidal in London. Specifically, “Rocky” showed interest in fighting Masvidal at the O2 Arena, the building where they got into their backstage altercation.
“I’ll give him the title shot, that’d be a fantastic fight in the UK,” Edwards said via Low Kick MMA. “Bring it back to the O2 where it happened, for the title. That’s the one to do next, that’s the best.”
After Edwards took out Usman at the Vivint Arena, Masvidal’s manager Malki Kawa tweeted: “3 piece and a soda time. Yes we except (sic) Leon Edwards.” Gamebred retweeted the post, further hinting at his desire to fight for UFC gold next.
Edwards Is Ready to Meet Usman in a Trilogy Match
During the UFC 278 post-fight press conference, Edwards said he expected to meet The Nigerian Nightmare for a trilogy fight in the future.
” I knew going into it, that more than likely we’re gonna have a rematch down the line,” Edwards said via Low Kick MMA. “Whether it’s next or down the line, we’re gonna have a rematch. He’s been a long champion, they’ve been saying he’s the pound-for-pound best all week… He believed it. As I said in the octagon, the belt belongs to no one.”
During White’s time with the media at the press conference, he said hosting an event at Wembley Stadium was a possibility. And Rocky also stated that he’d want to fight at London’s famous venue.
“I heard Wembley. Wembley for sure,” Edwards continued. “One hundred percent. Make it at Wembley, it has to be done. This has never been done before. To have a guy from Birmingham, in the UK, do it from the UK. I know (Michael) Bisping did it first. But he did it from living in America, you know?
“So it was hard for people like me to relate and say look, we can do it as well. I made a point to stay in the UK to achieve this, to show the other guys coming after me, that look, if you believe in your country, believe in your team, you can achieve it.“
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Jorge Masvidal Breaks Silence After UFC Foe Kamaru Usman Gets Brutally KO’d