Why Jorge Masvidal is the perfect opponent for Leon Edwards (Opinion)

Leon Edwards might just be the unluckiest man in the whole of UFC’s Welterweight division. UFC had scheduled Edwards to fight the former champion, Tyron Woodley, on March 21 of this year, in what would have been a tremendous leap for the Jamaican-born Brit.

A win against Woodley would have cemented Edwards as the No.1 contender and calls for a rematch against current champion, Kamaru Usman, would have also intensified. Sadly, Edwards hasn’t fought this year and has been in a state of limbo as the Welterweight division progresses without him.

Gilbert Burns, the man who would eventually replace Leon Edwards for the Woodley fight, became the No.1 Contender after defeating the former champion in dominating fashion at the UFC Apex.

Leon Edwards has always been proud of training out of his hometown of Birmingham and talked about it on a number of occassions.

But this has left him in a tough spot which no one could have predicted even in their wildest dreams. International fighters have got their chance to step inside the octagon during the current Fight Island extravaganza, but Edwards was not in the picture.

His compatriot, Darren Till, instead carries the British hopes as he fights for the second time as a Middleweight in his UFC career. Leon Edwards’ decision to not fight is understandable as it would be a significant risk on his part to fight someone ranked below him.

Only Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, and Gilbert Burns ranked above him with Masvidal fighting for the title while Burns himself tested positive for COVID-19. Covington, meanwhile, had a long-standing beef with Tyron Woodley which finally be settled inside the octagon.

That left ‘Rocky’ with little choice but to let the situation play out on its own. Dana White has already confirmed Gilbert Burns as the next in line for Kamaru Usman, which leaves Leon Edwards with the proposition of a fight against Masvidal.

These two are not fond of each other by any means and had a backstage brawl last year after the main event of UFC London. Masvidal cut Leon Edwards up with a beautiful boxing combo and came up with the brilliant analogy of “three-piece and a soda’.

This bout makes sense for both fighters and UFC. Leon Edwards will feel he has the upper hand going into this one, as he has impressed with his wrestling against the likes of Gunnar Nelson and Rafael dos Anjos in his recent fights.

Masvidal, meanwhile, will feel more comfortable on the feet against someone not considered as good of a wrestler as Usman. The backstage brawl last year should also give Masvidal an added confidence going into a fight against the Brit.

UFC has gold in terms of promotions having captured the brawl between the two entirely and it could acts as an excellent piece of advertisement for the fight. Masvidal wanted to run things back with Usman with a full camp, but nothing would be as much of a statement as delivering the “three-piece and a soda” to Edwards inside the octagon.

Leon Edwards, meanwhile, could hit two targets with a single arrow if he ends up defeating Masvidal. He will get revenge for what Gamebred did to him back in London and gaining back all the momentum he had lost because of this current pandemic.