UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards says his beef with Jorge Masvidal is real and that he would “smoke” his rival if they fight inside the Octagon.
The rivalry between Edwards and Masvidal dates back to March 2019, the night Edwards defeated Gunnar Nelson and Masvidal knocked out Darren Till in London. Following the event, the two engaged in a back-stage brawl that saw Edwards wind up with a cut on his face. The two fighters have never seen eye-to-eye ever since, though they haven’t had a chance just yet to settle their beef with each other inside the cage.
Fast forward to now and there’s certainly a chance that Edwards and Masvidal will get their chance to fight each other. Edwards is looking to get back in the cage after having missed the last year of action following a win over Rafael dos Anjos last July, while Masvidal is coming off of a decision loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 251. With Usman likely fighting Gilbert Burns next, Edwards could potentially fight Masvidal for a future title shot.
Speaking to South China Morning Post, Edwards explained why he prefers fighting Masvidal over Burns if presented with that option by the UFC.
“I prefer (the Masvidal) fight over Gilbert. (Usman) said he wants to have a little time out with his daughter, his children, and chill for a bit. If they come to me and say ‘Gilbert or Masvidal,’ I’d prefer Masvidal for what happened in London, backstage. We’ve got a genuine beef between us. That would be a bigger fight, a more entertaining fight,” Edwards said.
“(The beef) will never go away until I get my hands on him. Even after, it wouldn’t go away.”
If Edwards does get matched up with Masvidal, the Brit is confident he will get the win. In fact, Edwards believes that he has what it takes to dominate Masvidal and stop him.
“I truly believe I’ll stop him. He’s nothing special. I knew that before he got beat by Usman. He fought Ben (Askren), Ben was s***. Nate Diaz is a journeyman. He beat Darren Till. That’s the only good win he’s had, Darren Till. Everyone else [he’s beaten] are average fighters, and he’s got this mad hype around him. I truly believe I would smoke him,” Edwards said.
Who do you think would win in a potential matchup, Leon Edwards or Jorge Masvidal?