UFC President Dana White declared his interest in matching Jorge Masvidal against Leon Edwards. Putting the two welterweight contenders in the Octagon, said White, is “probably the fight to make”.
White told MMA Junkie that he wants his fighters, particularly Edwards, active, and not sitting around waiting for a title shot: “It’s never a good idea to sit around and wait. Lots of bad things have happened to guys that have sat around and waited.
Dana White: Masvidal v Edwards is “probably the fight to make”
This sport is just like life. There are no guarantees in life. You gotta get in there. You gotta fight your ass off. You gotta stay relevant, and you gotta make people chomping at the bit saying, ‘All right, Leon’s getting screwed now. This guy should be getting this title fight.’
You want the fans screaming for you to be the next guy to get that title shot. And, yeah, with the bad luck that that poor kid has had, he should stay as active as he possibly can.”
Edwards is undefeated in his last ten bouts, and wants a shot against reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Usman delivered Edwards one of his only two UFC losses, and the most recent loss on Edwards’ resume.
His recent win over Nate Diaz gives Edwards the sort of momentum that fighters need to take on the best, and forcing the Englishman to wait again would be disastrous for his career.
Unfortunately for Leon Edwards, Dana has scheduled Colby Covington to fight Kamaru Usman next, meaning that he may wait the rest of the year before he gets his chance at the strap.
The other fight that makes sense for Edwards right now, according to Dana, is Edwards facing Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal is coming fresh off the back of consecutive losses to Kamaru Usman, including the first knockout loss of his MMA career. Masvidal shouldn’t be considered a gatekeeper for Edwards to take on Usman, but a win over “Gambred” would cement Leon Edwards’ campaign for the strap, regardless of whether Usman or Covington wins their bout.
For Jorge, taking on a serious contender like Leon Edwards is exactly the kind of fight he needs following two losses at the hands of the champ. Jorge Masvidal won’t be challenging Usman again any time soon, but should he defeat a contender like Edwards, a trilogy fight with Usman may just be on the cards.
Would you like to see Edwards v Masvidal? Let us know in the comments how you see that fight going down.
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