Why Did Jorge Masvidal Pull Out of The Leon Edwards Fight at UFC 269

Jorge Masvidal left fight fans disappointed as he pulled out the much-anticipated bout with Leon Edwards at UFC 269. 

The long-time rivalry between Masvidal and Edwards was finally about to end as both fighters were ready to fight each other on December 11. But it seems like Edwards will have to wait a little more. Jorge decided to withdraw his name from the fight due to an undisclosed injury that he suffered during the training camp. 

The rivalry between Masvidal and Edwards started during a heated backstage altercation back in 2019. During a UFC event in London, things got ugly b/w both fighters. They were captured swinging punches at each other. 

After that, Masvidal went on to defeat Nate Diaz and win the BMG title. Along with that, he got multiple title shots against the Welterweight Champion Kumaru Usman. But Masvidal failed to defeat the champion two times in a row. Edwards, on the other hand, fought Belal Muhammad which resulted in a “No contest” and then he defeated Nate Diaz at UFC 263. During this whole time, both the fighters have been going back and forth on the internet taking digs at each other. With time the rivalry incited so much that it created a great opportunity for UFC to set up a fight between the fighters. But now with Masvidal’s sudden withdrawal, it is hard to say when will be the next chance to see both these fighters going against each other inside the Octagon.

There have not been any clarified explanations from Masvidal’s side about what is the injury and how bad it is. But, a sudden change of plans for the fighter just after Colby Covington called him out raised suspicion. As for Masvidal, the fight with Covington will be more beneficial than the fight with Edwards economically. Well, it’s hard to say anything just yet but this can surely be a possibility.

Edwards to fight Kamaru Usman after Jorge Masvidal pulled out of their fight at UFC 269:

Edwards didn’t waste any time to respond after Masvidal’s withdrawal. He took to Twitter and wrote that he is disappointed and called Masvidal a fraud as he backed off. “He was just a stop off on the way to the title…@usman84kg I will see you soon,” wrote Edwards.

Disappointed but honestly, I knew this fraud didn’t want to fight me anyway. He was just a stop off on the way to the title. The goal remains the same. Much needed family time now, @usman84kg I will see you soon.

— Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) November 10, 2021

It was obvious from the Brit to call out the champion next as his current Welterweight ranking is #3.

After Masvidal’s withdrawal, many other fighters showed interest in fighting Edwards at UFC 269, One of them being Khamzat Chimaev. But, it’s hard to see Edwards choosing Chimaev as his next opponent as he is on an impressive nine-fight win streak. Also, fighting a #12 fighter doesn’t seem useful to him.