Leon Edwards is willing to give Jorge Masvidal the next title shot over Kamaru Usman should ‘Gamebred’ defeat Gilbert Burns next year.
The two have unfinished business from a viral backstage altercation in 2019 in which Masvidal hit Edwards in the face following the former’s knockout of Darren Till at UFC London.
Both men are open to a grudge match but Edwards says Masvidal has to get a win before he gets another crack at the welterweight championship. ‘Rocky’ is willing to fight his longtime UFC rival should defeated champ Kamaru Usman turn down a trilogy bout early next year.
“I would give him it before Usman,” Edwards, who knocked out Usman to claim the welterweight title, said during a recent appearance on the Spinnin Backfist podcast (h/t MMA News). “Let’s say he fights Burns in December, or in January, and he gets a good win. I would fight him in April in the UK… I would love for him to beat Burns, and then that would be a big fight.”
Edwards is on a ten-fight win streak and is currently #5 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings. His last-minute head-kick knockout of Kamaru Usman is considered one of the greatest upsets in UFC history.