Leon Edwards has admitted his regret that a UFC meeting with Jorge Masvidal failed to materialise before his rival's retirement.
Edwards now sits at the top of the UFC welterweight division after dethroning Kamaru Usman before beating the Nigerian in a rematch this year in London as he bid for revenge. Prior to his title win, 'Rocky' was set to face bitter rival Masvidal in December 2021 but 'Gamebred' was forced to withdraw with an undisclosed injury.
The showdown between the pair in the cage built significant interest after the pair clashed backstage at a UFC London event in 2019 after Masvidal knocked out Darren Till. And Edwards has since suggested he wanted to inflict a beating on his bitter rival to settle their dispute.
“That’s the one that got away,” Edwards told MMA Fighting when assessing his appearing missed chance at a clash with Masvidal. “That’s the one I wished happened, the one that fans wished happened, everyone wished that fight happened. For some reason, the UFC didn’t want to make it or tried making it and (Jorge) Masvidal turned it down. That’s the fight that definitely got away for sure.
“I wanted to put a beating on him. Looking like that or whatever he looked like, ever after (Ben) Askren, I just wanted to put a whooping on him and that was it. Whether it was the best Jorge or not, technically he’s just not as good as me. He’s not better than me. I just wanted to put a beating on him, but sadly I won’t get the chance in the octagon."
Masvidal has since elected to retire after suffering yet another defeat at the hands of Gilbert Burns, which sees him frozen well out of the title picture. The 38-year-old may have been lured into some fan-friendly fights against the likes of Edwards and Conor McGregor but decide to call a halt on his time in the promotion.
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Edwards has been heavily linked with a challenge from Colby Covington but has been reluctant to accept given some of the other big names available. However UFC president Dana White has insisted 'Chaos' has earned his shot at the title later this year. “Colby Covington deserves this shot at the title," he said.
“I don’t blame Leon. Leon just got through Usman twice and now he’s looking at another wrestler now with a funky style that’s tough to deal with. “When you become the champ, everybody’s coming after you. All the straight killers are coming after you for the next three times a f***ing year, you’re faced with nothing but the baddest dudes in the world in your division.
“If you look at Usman and what he did, Usman ran through that division twice. Usman’s one of the greatest of all time. Leon just beat him twice. You’re the man, Leon. You’re the guy. And everyone’s coming after you, and it’s going to be Colby next.”
