In 2019, Darren Till rose to the heights of success and was scheduled to headline UFC London with a fight against Jorge Masvidal. The co-main event of the night was fellow Englishman Leon Edwards vs. Gunnar Nelson, a fight that ‘Rocky’ went on to win. Despite being on a six-fight win streak, Edwards, who was originally supposed to fight Till, was replaced by Masvidal.
In the pre-fight press conference, things got a bit heated between the two English fighters when Edwards was asked if he was disappointed that his name was replaced by ‘Gamebred’. In response, the Birmingham native said:
“This wasn’t the f**king main event to make, him and Jorge, it was me vs. him [Till], who’s the best welterweight in the UK? That’s what should’ve happened, not Jorge.”
‘The Gorilla’ responded with:
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“Listen, I just know one thing, I’ll put a hole in your face.”
This kickstarted an all-out debate between Scouser and the Birmingham resident about who the best British welterweight was. Where Till questioned Edwards’ victory over Donald Cerrone by calling Cerrone a “washed up cowboy,” ‘Rocky’ told Till that he boxed like an amateur.
This was interrupted by Jorge Masvidal, who began asking if anyone had the wifi password. Today, however, Leon Edwards is the welterweight king, and ‘The Gorrila’ is looking to make a comeback.
Check out the 2019 debate below:
Chael Sonnen praises Jorge Masvidal for lining himself up perfectly to fight Leon Edwards
Jorge Masvidal has earned praise from former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen for having skilfully placed himself in the eyes of new welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Since ‘Gamebred’ and ‘Rocky’ had a backstage altercation in 2019, their rivalry has not seen its day in the octagon.
On an episode of Beyond The Fight, ‘The American Gangster’ explained how he felt the Miami native had successfully associated his name with ‘Rocky’ by saying:
"Jorge Masvidal knew he wasn't going to get back in there with Kamaru Usman. He was fully aware and Jorge Masvidal knows that he owes Leon a fight. So Jorge, to get in front of this thing, on the outside chance that Leon would win, started to position himself and attach himself to Leon.”
Catch the latest Beyond The Fight episode below:
Sonnen was referring to tweets by the 37-year-old former street fighter, which was clearly intended at drawing the attention of Leon Edwards. Even prior to their altercation ‘Rocky’ had expressed his interest in fighting ‘Gambebred’ and might decide to settle the score.