Getty Nate Diaz & Jorge Masvidal
Former two-time welterweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal wants to fight current UFC champion Leon Edwards next, and “Rocky” loves that Masvidal is “begging” for the opportunity.
After Edwards knocked out longtime king Kamaru Usman last month at UFC 278, Masvidal took to Instagram, writing in a Story: “I heard we going to London again.” He also included three chicken leg emojis and a soda emoji, pointing to his coined “three-piece and a soda” line he said after his backstage altercation with Edwards in 2019.
Masvidal struck Rocky multiple times after the two came face to face at a UFC London event. After the incident, Edwards firmly started on the campaign trail trying to fight Masvidal. But, “Gamebred” showed little interest in stepping inside the Octagon with the Englishman.
However, that changed when Edwards became champion, and Rocky now appears to relish the turn of events.
“100% (I enjoy it),” Edwards said to BT Sports’ Ariel Helwani last week (h/t MMA News). “I remember when I was meant to fight Woodley and it got cancelled, and (Masvidal) was like, ‘I’m not worried about you now, you have to go to the back of the line.’ Now he’s like, begging,” Edwards said. “‘I’ll fight you in London.’ Mate, I called you out for like three years. You went running and went hiding. Now, it feels good to be the king. Now I’m on top.”
Masvidal Is 0-3 in His Last 3 Fights, Edwards Said He Wanted to See Gamebred Fight Gilbert Burns Next
Unfortunately for Masvidal, he’s lost his last three outings inside the UFC’s cage, which includes back-to-back defeats to Usman for the 170-pound championship. Gamebred last fought in March when he dropped a unanimous decision to Colby Covington at UFC 272.
Edwards told Helwani that he’d prefer to watch Masvidal square off against top-ranked contender Gilbert Burns before earning another shot at UFC gold. Edwards also said that a trilogy bout with “The Nigerian Nightmare” would most likely be his first title defense.
But, should Masvidal get past Burns before the two are scheduled, Rocky said a contest with Gamebred in the United Kingdom “would be a bigger fight” than the third fight with Usman.
“Usman three is the frontrunner unless something dramatic happens… (But) I love the Masvidal one. I know he hasn’t earned it, but I would love for him to go out there and fight in October, against a Gilbert Burns or something; just get one good win,” Edwards continued. “Smoke Burns — if he does, I can’t see him beating Burns — but if he does, imagine the scenes. I truly believe that would be a bigger fight in the UK than Usman.”
Masvidal Shared Argument to Support His Claim for an Instant Title Fight
A few days after Edwards hoisted the 170-pound championship, Masvidal shared an argument to try and bolster his claim to receive an instant title fight. He pointed to the time when Dan Henderson was granted a title fight despite going 2-3 in his last five UFC bouts.
Then-middleweight champion Michael Bisping, the UK’s first-ever UFC champion, wanted to avenge his loss against the aging Henderson. So, the promotion pitted the two against each other. In the end, Bisping got the win over Henderson at UFC 204 via unanimous decision in 2016.
“I remember a time when England had a champ that wanted a certain fight and he told the ufc what he wanted and made it happen,” Masvidal tweeted. “The newbies won’t know what I’m talking about but the real ones do.”