"I would smoke him" - Leon Edwards on potential grudge match against Jorge Masvidal
UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards understandably has a beef to settle with Jorge Masvidal and the Englishman has claimed that he would “smoke” Gamebred in a potential clash inside the Octagon.
The rivalry between Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal goes back to March 2019, when Edwards beat Gunnar Nelson and Masvidal knocked out Darren Till in London. Following the event, the pair had an altercation which led to a backstage brawl where Masvidal punched Edwards and famously said that he gave the Englishman the "three-piece and a soda". Leon Edwards and Masvidal have never had the chance to settle their beef but they'd love to get their hands on each other inside the cage.
Looking at the current scenario in the 170lbs division, there’s a good chance that Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal will be pitted against each other. Edwards is looking to return to the Octagon after beating Rafael dos Anjos last July, while Masvidal recently suffered a decision loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 251. With Usman likely to defend his title against Gilbert Burns next, Leon Edwards could potentially be booked to fight Masvidal for a title shot.
Speaking to South China Morning Post, Edwards revealed that his beef with Masvidal is personal and said he prefers fighting Masvidal over Burns if given an option. If the matchup comes to fruition, Leon Edwards is confident he will exact revenge against the BMF champ.
“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. (The beef) will never go away until I get my hands on 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, and he’s got this mad hype around him. I truly believe I would smoke him."