Leon Edwards won’t get his shot at Jorge Masvidal because Masvidal was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury. And now that the fight is no longer on the books Edwards is losing hope of ever getting a chance to fight Masvidal.
“I don’t believe (we’ll get booked again),” Edwards told ESPN. “I’m going up, he’s going that way (down). So I can’t see when there’s going to be a time when the fight makes sense. I’m going to keep winning. I’m going on to world championships and competing at a higher level. He’s declining. So it’s going to be difficult now for us to get into a position where the fight makes sense. But we’ll see.”
The fight really stems from a backstage altercation where Masvidal struck Edwards. That squabble took place nearly three years ago in London and it’s where Masvidal coined his famous catchphrase, “three-piece and a soda.”
It’s clear that there’s unfinished business there for Edwards, maybe even more than obtaining the world title.
“That (backstage altercation) left a bad taste in my mouth,” Edwards told the outlet. “There’s bad blood there forever – so possible. We’ll see. I’m focusing on being a world champion, focusing on achieving my goal. He’s doing what he’s doing. I feel he’ll probably retire, as well. I reckon next year, he’ll probably retire.”
Masvidal’s injury hasn’t been disclosed and that’s causing a few red flags for Edwards.
“I always felt that he was a fake, that he’s a fraud,” he said. “I knew this going into the fight that he’s a fake. He had, like, a good year, year and a half that he had the (Darren) Till knockout, the Ben Askren knockout, and that kind of propelled him. But apart from that, he’s nothing but a journeyman. Every time he fights, more than likely, he’s probably going to lose. My opinion hasn’t changed much. I knew what I knew, and now the fans are getting to see it. Now it’s clear as day, you know, that he’s not who he pretends to be.”
At press time the UFC has yet to rebook Edwards with a new opponent.
Leon Edwards says ‘there’s bad blood’ with Jorge Masvidal ‘forever’ after UFC 269 withdrawal