Leon Edwards has finally earned his title shot against Kamaru Usman in August. If he wins the title, arch-rival Jorge Masvidal would gladly serve as his first title defense.
The Birmingham fighter is currently riding a 10-fight unbeaten streak since outpointed by Usman in their first fight in 2015. Now seven years after their initial encounter, Edwards finally gets a shot at the welterweight gold that is currently held by Usman.
Their rematch was announced earlier this month and the two will headline the first UFC pay-per-view in Utah on August 20.
In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Edwards revealed his plan after he snatches the belt from Usman. The 30-year-old wants to give his arch-rival Jorge Masvidal the first shot at the title.
“When I win the belt, I’ll give him the title shot,” Edwards said. “That’d be a fantastic fight in the UK.”
Reacting to Edwards’ plan, Masvidal wholeheartedly accepted the offer. In his appearance on the BLOCKPARTY podcast, ‘Gamebred’ admitted that he’d e more than happy to fight Edwards.
“That’s another intangible thing. Am I gonna say no to fighting for the title? Like, hell no,” said Masvidal. “I’ll get my ass in shape and get ready for this f*ckin’ hooligan, and give it all I’ve got to break his face… It’s a lot of tangibles, a lot of things that could happen. I could be getting myself ready for number 10 of the world and all of a sudden fighting for a world championship.
“Remember, I’m Jorge Masvidal. I’m the same guy who took that world championship fight on six days’ notice in the middle of the corona pandemic, flew all the way across the world to throw down in that fight,” added Masvidal. “I’m gonna go with the best option all the time.”
Masvidal and Edwards were initially scheduled to fight at UFC 269 in December. However, the two-time title challenger pulled out due to an injury.
Their rivalry also brewed after a backstage altercation at UFC London back in 2019. Since the infamous “two-piece and a soda” incident, the two were actively trading shots on social media.
And now, should Edwards win the title from Usman, we might finally see who’ll get his hand raised in their highly-anticipated showdown.