Leon Edwards still wants a massive world title defence against Jorge Masvidal - but has told his long-time rival that he needs to get a few wins on the board first.
When the feud between Masvidal and Edwards started with a physical altercation at UFC London in March 2019, it was the former who had all the power. He was rising quickly to the top of the division and, just weeks after viciously stopping Darren Till at the O2 Arena, he became a household name with a six-second knockout of Ben Askren.
Meanwhile, Edwards got just one fight in over the next two years against Rafael Dos Anjos before finally getting back out last year against Belal Muhammad and Nate Diaz. But the tables have since turned completely, with Masvidal losing three times on the bounce, including a brutal stoppage from Usman and an embarrassing decision loss to bitter foe Colby Covington.
And Edwards has advised his rival that he must rack up some wins in order to get a shot at the title that he just won from Usman. The Brit stunned fans when he dethroned the Nigerian on August 20 at UFC 278 and has been entertaining a number of challengers for his first defence.
Asked if Masvidal is on his radar during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show, Edwards replied that his rival is "on my list, but I think right now Jorge is on a two, three-fight losing streak. He needs to go out there and get some wins and make the fight make sense. That’s a fight I think would be massive for the UFC and to get my revenge on him, I cannot wait."
More likely is a massive homecoming at Wembley Stadium against Usman, who undoubtedly deserves a rematch having dominated the welterweight division for years, including a win over Edwards and a solid performance in their rematch before he was stopped. UFC President Dana White has fallen in love with the UK crowd this year, bringing two shows to The O2 in London.
Would you still like to see Leon Edwards face Jorge Masvidal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
And he wants to bring Edwards to Wembley for an extraordinary homecoming in what would be one of the UFC's biggest ever events. A show at the national stadium would be able to accommodate a minimum capacity in the region of 80,000, which would destroy the promotion's record attendance of 57,127.
“I think Usman is deserving of the trilogy,” Edwards said. “I would love to have it back in the UK; Wembley would be good. The O2 would be good in London. I would love to give him the rematch, run it back, and let’s settle the score.”
Edwards and Usman are currently 1-1 in the Octagon, having fought on a preliminary card in December 2015, and could make history with a monumental trilogy bout. The UFC haven't had a pay-per-view in the UK since Michael Bisping's middleweight title defence against Dan Henderson at UFC 204 in October 2016.
