"This man is nowhere near my level" - Leon Edwards wants his first title defense to be against Jorge Masvidal in London
Leon Edwards is set to face Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 for the Nigerian's welterweight title. The Jamaican-born British fighter is confident in his ability to dethrone the current champion — in the lead-up to their bout, 'Rocky' has revealed who he wants to face in his first title defense.
During a press conference for the UFC's upcoming event in London, the No.2-ranked welterweight was asked who he would like to face in his first title defense should he successfully dethrone Usman. In response, Edwards stated that he would like to face off against former adversary Jorge Masvidal.
However, Edwards believes that 'Gamebred' will have to score at least one win before he becomes eligible to fight him.
Speaking to Timothy Wheaton from Sportskeeda MMA, the 30-year-old Brit had this to say:
"I would love to have Masvidal, you know. But, he needs to get wins. Let him get one win. Then imagine, like, him being back in London — like to headline London for the title, I'll give him the shot, you know. Just to show people that this man is nowhere near my level."
Check out Leon Edwards talk about his first title defense at the 9:46 mark of the video below:
Leon Edwards has been at odds with Jorge Masvidal for some time now. Since their infamous backstage run-in at UFC London in 2019, where Masivdal threw multiple punches at Edwards, the two have been actively thrashing talking against each other.
If Edwards is able to win the welterweight title, a grudge match against Masvidal would definitely be something to look out for.
Leon Edwards confident title fight against Kamaru Usman won't be same as their first fight
No.2-ranked welterweight contender Leon Edwards seems quite confident that his upcoming title match against current champ Kamaru Usman will definitely not be the same as their last outing.
While appearing on a recent episode of the Blockparty podcast, Edwards stated that his skills have improved and he will not be "outwrestled" this time.
In regards to how confident he feels about his upcoming title match, 'Rocky' said:
"I'm looking forward to going out there and proving the world wrong. I know everyone thinks I'm going to get outwrestled, blah, blah, blah. That won't be the case. I promise you. I cannot wait man."
Catch Leon Edwards on the Blockparty podcast here:
Edwards is riding a 10-fight winning streak and currently has a pro record of 19 wins and three losses. His most recent defeat came at the hands of Usman in their first meeting at UFC on Fox 17, back in 2015.
With his upcoming fight, 'Rocky' will fight not only to win the division gold, but also to avenge his loss to 'The Nigerian Nightmare'.