Jorge Masvidal called it a career from UFC in 2023 but that didn’t stop him from calling out former welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
Masvidal hasn’t fought since his unanimous decision defeat to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. That marked a fourth straight loss for ‘Gamebred’ as his last victory was against Nate Diaz via doctor’s stoppage in 2019 for the BMF belt.
Jorge Masvidal ready to make a return
The Miami native stated that he was ready to make a return to MMA as he’s been heavily involved in the boxing scene lately. He recently fought Nate Diaz this year on July 6 in a boxing match where he lost via majority decision. Masvidal expressed interest in returning to MMA despite the training camps taking more of a toll on your body compared to boxing. Edwards is also coming off a decision loss where he was dominated by Belal Muhammad in every round and subsequently lost the belt.
In a recent interview, some names were brought up for potential matchups for Jorge Masvidal’s return to the octagon. Leon Edwards was one name that stood out to Masvidal given their prior history with each other. At an event years ago Jorge Masvidal claimed that he pieced up Edwards backstage.
The two were matched up to settle their rivalry at UFC 269 but the bout fell through.
When asked about a potential fight with Edwards, Masvidal stated, “Leon Edwards don’t want this. He had other options, he went for other things except fight me, basically.” When asked if ‘Rocky’ would even fight him Masvidal went on to say, “I know he wouldn’t fight me. He don’t want that sh*t. He already got offered it and he turned it down. That guy don’t want this sh*t…”
Would jorge masvidal make sense for Edwards?
At the time they were supposed to fight, Masvidal was ranked No.6 in the division while Edwards was ranked No.3. Now after losing the belt to Muhammad, Edwards is currently ranked as the No.1 contender in the division. Is there a chance Leon Edwards is turning down a potential matchup because it’s a high-risk, low-reward fight?
It seems like the former BMF champion, Jorge Masvidal may have some star power when it comes to his name and being a former BMF champ. Does he believe that he can get an immediate matchup with a highly-ranked contender for a return to the UFC?
He stated Edwards already turned down a potential matchup and a potential fight between them could just be for money. It’ll be interesting to see what the UFC has in store for both fighters in the near future.
