UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has been advised by former heavyweight Brendan Schaub to settle his long-running dispute with Jorge Masvidal.
Edwards is coming off a historic win over the former division champion and pound-for-pound Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. Usman asserted his dominance over Edwards throughout the five rounds and appeared to be on his way to getting the nod on the judges’ scorecards. With just 56 seconds left in the bout, Edwards scored a massive upset by landing a vicious kick to the head that knocked Usman out cold for the first time in his career.
Following the win, a trilogy fight with Usman seemed to be the most likely option next. Former title challenger and ‘BMF’ champion Masvidal called for a shot at the new 170-pound victor. The two share a fierce rivalry from a physical altercation backstage in 2019.
In an episode of “The Schaub Show,” popular podcast host Schaub, a friend of Joe Rogan, shared his thoughts on who Edwards should take on in his first title defense. Given the history between Edwards and Masvidal, Schaub believes it would be exciting to see them in action during the build-up and inside the octagon. He also favors the matchup with “Gamebred” over Usman for the second-ever English UFC champion.
“I’d love to see Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards,” Schaub said (ht BJPenn.com). “If I’m Leon Edwards, that’s the fight I go for. A, it’s the biggest fight. B, it’s not an easy fight, but it’s easier than Kamaru. There’s a reason Kamaru is such a big favorite in the rematch. History would suggest that Kamaru should have won that second fight… So, you would assume in the rubber match that if Kamaru comes in focused, it’s going to be very similar. Leon Edwards’ team knows that.”
Schaub Believes Masvidal vs. Edwards Would Be a Big Money Fight
Back in Mar. 2019, Masvidal knocked out Darren Till at UFC London. After his spectacular finish, Masvidal conducted an interview backstage when Edwards walked past him and called him out for a showdown.
Things got heated between the two, leading Masvidal to leave the interview to confront Edwards. Masvidal proceeded to sucker-punch him in the face and later stated the infamous quote about dishing the “three-piece and a soda.”
Schaub believes that a fight between Masvidal and Edwards would generate big numbers and make for good business for the promotion.
“I would be all over that Masvidal fight man, all over it,” Schaub said. “Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards, they’ll show the backstage stuff and hype it up, that would sell pretty freaking well. Also, it’s Masvidal man. I know he’s one and three in his last four, I don’t give a s*it. Put him in there. Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards, October, get it done.”
Edwards Is Interested in Fighting Masvidal if He Gets Some Wins
Edwards previously got booked to settle the dispute with Masvidal inside the cage at UFC 269, but an undisclosed injury forced Masvidal to withdraw, causing the bout to get scrapped.
Masvidal is coming off a lopsided loss to bitter rival Colby Covington in March at UFC 272. He has not won since Nov. 2019 and has dropped his last three outings in a row, including two unsuccessful chances at the promotional gold against Usman.
Edwards is interested in taking on Masvidal but wants him to rack up some wins to make the fight make sense.
“[Masvidal] is on my list,” said Edwards via Bloody Elbow. “But at the moment, I think Jorge, he’s on like a two-three fight losing streak. So he needs to go out there and get some wins and make the fight make sense. That’s a fight I think would be massive for the UFC. To get my revenge on him, I cannot wait.”
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UFC Champ Told To Settle Grudge With ‘Easier’ Rival Jorge Masvidal