Leon Edwards is gearing up for, perhaps, the biggest fight of his 12-year-long career. At UFC 286, it will be Leon’s opportunity to prove that his win against Kamaru Usman was not a fluke. After the Brit viciously KO’ed Usman in the UFC 278 main event, a section of fans started saying that the result was a fluke and Leon was lucky to land the knockout shot.
However, a video emerged of Leon practicing the exact same kick ahead of the event. So it proved that “Rocky” was not leaving anything up to luck on that night. Hence, with a dominant performance at UFC 286, Edwards can show the doubters that he is indeed the rightful champion of the weight class. But, Usman is not the only fighter on Edwards’ radar.
London we are BACK 🏆🇬🇧#UFC286 Fight Week is officially here!! pic.twitter.com/VcRiLtCtyz
— UFC (@ufc) March 13, 2023
Before the rematch was made official by the UFC, Leon was asked who he wanted to face. Although he was not opposed to giving Usman the rematch, the 31-year-old was also open to possibly exploring other options as well, namely Jorge Masvidal. Die-hard UFC fans already know that there is a long history between Leon and Jorge. Hence, Leon wants to explore that after his trilogy bout against Usman.
Leon Edwards wants the Jorge Masvidal fight after UFC 286
Leon Edwards beat Gunnar Nelson via split decision at UFC Fight Night: Till vs Masvidal in March 2019. As the title itself suggests, Jorge Masvidal was in the main event opposite Darren Till. Following Jorge’s huge KO win over Till, the Maimi native became a massive sensation. But it was partly because of a scuffle between him and Leon.
Following Masvidal’s win, Leon came across Jorge and called him out for a fight. But the “Street Jesus” took it as an invitation for confrontation and landed some sucker punches on Leon. Later, Masvidal dubbed the move as the “three-piece with the soda.” It kicked off a great rivalry where Leon chased a possible bout against Jorge.
But Masvidal’s stock was too high for a bout against Leon, and he went on to fight Ben Askren, Nate Diaz, and then-champ, Kamaru Usman twice. However, the stars finally aligned as Jorge and Leon were matched up to fight in December 2021. But, Masvidal pulled out of the fight due to a rib injury. However, Leon has not given up on the bout and wants the fight down the line.
During a recent interview with GQ, Leon said, “That’s a fight that right now it’d be hard to make because he is on like a three-fight losing streak. My career is doing this (going up), and his career is doing that (going down). So for it to make sense, it’d be hard. But that’s a fight that’s going to happen either on the streets or in the Octagon. Preferably in the Octagon to get paid but, if not, I’ll see him. That’s a fight that’s gonna happen for sure.”
As fans have seen over and over again, UFC is not opposed to making money fights. Although Masivdal has lost 3 fights in a row to kamaru Usman (twice) and Colby Covington, a win against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 would certainly restore his credibility. At that point, if Leon retains his belt this weekend, a potential fight between Edwards and Masvidal would do massive business.
Even if the fight does not materialize inside the Octagon, Leon hinted at a confrontation on the streets as well! If UFC President Dana White is listening to this, he perhaps should worry about containing these two if they ever come across each other at a UFC event. What do you think about the prospect of the fight happening? Let us know in the comments down below.
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