UFC welterweight champion Leon “Rocky” Edwards had a long road to UFC gold. However, after knocking out former champ Kamaru Usman in spectacular fashion to earn the title, he won the rematch via decision.
Now, Edwards has his pick of the 170-pound elite, but he recently revealed in an interview with MMAFighting that there’s one man he views as “the one that got away”. That man? Jorge Masvidal.
UFC Welterweight Champ Leon Edwards Admits One Fight That “Got Away”
“That was the fight to make even after the [Ben] Askren fight.That was the fight to make straight away, but for some reason they didn’t want to make it.
I think [at UFC 287], he showed his age. He’s what, 37 or 38? He looked slow in there. He got fatigued within a round or so. I don’t think either of them looked great, him or Gilbert. Gilbert was just the better man that night, but I think it’s probably good for him to retire.
That’s the one that got away. 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 Masvidal turned it down. That’s the fight that definitely got away for sure.”
Masvidal’s long career in the UFC ended with a four-fight losing streak. Masvidal lost two consecutive bouts against Kamaru Usman, then one to Colby Covington, and another to Gilbert Burns. After the Burns fight, Masvidal retired on the spot, admitting that he was no longer performing at his best.
Leon Edwards, however, wishes he had the chance to face Masvidal. The two have long nurtured a heated rivalry, all the way back to UFC London in 2019. That night, Masvidal and Edwards were involved in a backstage altercation that saw Masvidal assault Edwards, hitting him with a “three piece and soda” (Masvidal-ese for several punches).
The fight made headlines around the world, and built enormous animosity between two title contenders. A clash seemed inevitable, but it never happened. Instead, Leon Edwards embarked on a remarkable multi-year winning streak, and Masvidal got to fight for the title twice, and wound up losing four in a row on the way out.
For Leon Edwards, time has done little to dissipate the animosity. “I wanted to put a beating on him. Looking like that or whatever he looked like, even after 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.”
