Tag: Leon Edwards

Jorge Masvidal aims for Conor McGregor or Leon Edwards in UFC return fight

With a UFC comeback seemingly imminent, Jorge Masvidal shares his plans for 2025.

[autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] wants to make a big splash for his return to the UFC.

The original BMF champion, Masvidal plans to return next April at the UFC’s expected pay-per-view event in Miami, and he’s specifically targeting a couple of big names in star [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and former welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag].

Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC) has history with both fighters, but ideally he’d like to face McGregor.

“I’d like for it to be Conor (McGregor) because I heard he also wants to fight on that same date,” Masvidal told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “He’s never mentioned my name because he knows I’ll rip his head off. However, if him and the UFC make that mistake, I’ll take his head off in Miami in April. But I don’t know if he wants it. He knows I’ll break him and make him look bad. I won’t take him down. I’ll strike with him and take him out of this orbit. He’s never mentioned my name, and it’s for a reason. …

“They’re saying he might want to do it, but I’m chilling. If he wants to do it, great, I’ll kill him. If not, Leon Edwards. He and I have history, and it’s time to settle it. He’s not booked, and neither am I. Let’s go, sign the contract, and I’ll break your face.”

McGregor vs. Masvidal: Big UFC business?

Masvidal promises a UFC return in the first half of 2025. It would be his first MMA fight after announcing his retirement from the sport in 2023. Masvidal did compete once in 2024 but in a boxing match against Nate Diaz – a fight he lost by majority decision.

“Gamebred” has been one of the biggest stars in MMA in recent years. Although interested in the fight against Edwards, he ideally would like to fight McGregor, as the two could put on a blockbuster event for the promotion.

“He knows I’m the best pay-per-view draw right behind him,” Masvidal said. “He’s No. 1, and then it’s me in terms of who’s sold the most pay-per-views in recent years. What would a fight between me and him do? That would break all records.

“He’s a b*tch. He’s a b*tch. Plus, he likes to snort cocaine all day. Let’s see if he wants to throw down with a true dog. Training is what I do. I’ll bust my ass to be in the best shape possible. That guy is a clown.”

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Michael Bisping suggests Leon Edwards step in against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310

Michael Bisping believes former UFC champ Leon Edwards has everything to gain by stepping in vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov.

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] believes [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] has everything to gain by stepping in vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag].

Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was scheduled to challenge welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the UFC 310 main event Dec. 7 at T-Mobile in Las Vegas, but a foot infection forced Muhammad out of the bout. Rakhmonov wants to remain on the card and preferably compete for the interim welterweight title. Rakhmonov lobbied for former champion Kamaru Usman, but Bisping pitched a different idea – Edwards (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who lost his welterweight title to Muhammad at UFC 304 in July.

“For Leon Edwards, this does everything,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “You beat Shavkat Rakhmonov, you are the man. You step up, you are the man. You beat this man that’s finishing everybody, what does that do for you? Well, then you’re right back in the title conversation. In fact, you will be probably getting a rematch against Belal Muhammad, and they will probably do that in America

“So, there wouldn’t be that crazy time difference, and that was what Leon pointed to. … He wants to get his hands on Belal Muhammad once again. He wants to right the wrongs. He wants to prove to the world and to himself that he’s the better man. But more importantly, to get back to becoming the welterweight champion of the world.”

Edwards has remained silent for the most part since his title loss to Muhammad but immediately after the fight, he vowed to “get this back in blood.” Bisping doesn’t see a need for an interim title, and neither does Muhammad, who said he’ll only need six weeks to recover.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Chael Sonnen explains how Jorge Masvidal ‘has looked very thirsty as of late’

Calling out Leon Edwards? That’s a desperate move from Jorge Masvidal, according to Chael Sonnen.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] is making a desperate attempt by calling out [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag].

Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC), who’s still under contract with the UFC, is plotting an octagon return. He retired after losing a unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns in April 2023 – his fourth loss in a row – but has now changed his tune. Not only is “Gamebred” looking to fight again in the UFC, he wants to settle his grudge match with Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC), which never came to fruition. Sonnen is doubtful that happens.

“Masvidal has looked very thirsty as of late, and this is always a tough spot,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “You’re fighting for money, the same reason you will get up and go to work. It’s for the money, but there’s something about it where you have to pretend that it’s not about the money. There’s some sort of act in there. ‘This is who I am. This is what I do.’ That part is just needed and if you get away from that act, or you don’t sell it well enough, then you go into a category called ‘looking thirsty.’ If he’s calling out guys like Leon, that guy is a badass, and that is what Jorge Masvidal is. And now that fight wouldn’t make a lot of sense.

“That fight isn’t taking you anywhere. It’s not taking you to a title fight. It’s not a title fight. For those reasons, the fight makes more sense. That’s the whole reason we couldn’t do it before. One was champion, but the other wasn’t a top contender. Or before, one was a huge star and the other just wasn’t there yet. All of the things that got in the way once upon a time, now here we are. I don’t predict that they’re going to make that fight. In fact, quite the opposite. I don’t predict for you anybody at the age of 40 is going to get signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, including if it’s a re-signing.”

Masvidal boxed Nate Diaz in July, losing the bout by majority decision. Meanwhile, after going unbeaten in 13-straight fights, Edwards lost his welterweight title to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304.

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Stephen Thompson impressed by Belal Muhammad’s cardio vs. Leon Edwards

Stephen Thompson raved about Belal Muhammad’s conditioning in his title fight vs. Leon Edwards.

[autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] raved about [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]’s conditioning in his title fight vs. [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag].

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defeated Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in a five-round battle to claim the welterweight title at UFC 304 in July.

Thompson credits Muhammad for his long road to the title, which included a suffocating win over him in December 2021.

“Man, the guy’s put in so much work,” Thompson said on Muhammad on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “He’s, I think, on a 10-fight win streak before he even got the chance to get the title. He’s beat me, he’s beat a lot of other guys. I’m happy for the guy. I’m glad that he’s champion, he worked really hard for it.”

Muhammad was able to push a heavy pace with his striking and grappling, overwhelming Edwards for the majority of the fight. Thompson was very impressed with his performance.

“It was unbelievable for one, to be able to beat someone like Leon Edwards who went almost 10 rounds with Kamaru Usman, who beat Colby Covington,” Thompson said. “In my eyes, it didn’t look like the Leon of old. I know he was in shape for the fight, I know it was late.

“But at the same time, I have never seen a cardio or a gas tank on anybody like I did Belal Muhammad that night. Leon Edwards, he tired like a normal athlete. But, freaking Belal Muhammad was just as fresh in the fifth as he was in the first. It was wild, and you could see the fatigue in Leon. But, hats off to him, man.”

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, July 30: Belal Muhammad, Tom Aspinall take No. 1 spots

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC 304 in Manchester, England.

Following UFC 304, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

In the main event at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England, [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] had his crowning moment by dominating [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] to become the new UFC welterweight champion.

Entering the week at No. 3 in the welterweight rankings, Muhammad’s title win places him at No. 1, knocking Edwards down one spot.

The co-feature produced an unprecedented move in the heavyweight rankings.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] successfully defended his interim heavyweight title by knocking out [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] in just one minute. Aspinall is an active and dominant force in the heavyweight division, and he has overtaken [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] for the No. 1 spot.

Jones, the current champion, has not fought in over 16 months, and his next fight in the works will not be a title unification bout. Aspinall has appeared three times since Jones’ heavyweight debut and has finished each opponent in the first round.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

Leon Edwards’ coach reveals back ‘niggle’ hampered ability to grapple in UFC 304 loss

Dave Lovell said he’s “not making any kind of excuses” for Leon Edwards’ performance against Belal Muhammad.

Coach Dave Lovell says [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] fought injured at UFC 304.

Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) was outgrappled by Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) for five rounds, losing his welterweight title in Saturday’s main event at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Edwards’ head coach, Lovell, revealed that Edwards was dealing with a nagging back injury during training camp, which limited him in his performance.

“I’m not making any kind of excuses for him, but we had a few niggles in camp,” Lovell told Submission Radio. “His back was niggling him, so he couldn’t wrestle the way he really needed to offensively and defensively because of the niggle that recurred about maybe two, three times. Well, not taking nothing away from Belal’s performance, you know. He did well, he done well. The best man won on the night, but Leon will be back.”

Lovell said the thought of withdrawing did cross his mind, but Edwards was keen on fighting after having not competed since a December title defense vs. Colby Covington at UFC 296.

“Well, believe it or not, we had a powwow about it, and I was very dubious because these niggles was going on for about maybe, five or so weeks on and off,” Lovell said. “He had to go to a chiropractor, regular massages. But again, after one session it was back to Square 1.

“So in the back part of my mind, you know, I was thinking, well, should we go for this? But because he hadn’t fought for so long, Leon said he wanted it. So we just pushed forward with the injury, trained through the injury and try to, you know, get through and get a victory. Unfortunately, it never happened.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Colby Covington (predictably) rips ‘f*cking p*ssy’ Belal Muhammad, ‘quitter’ Leon Edwards after UFC 304

Colby Covington didn’t watch UFC 304, but that didn’t stop the three-time welterweight title-fight loser from publicly sharing his opinion.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] didn’t watch UFC 304, but that didn’t stop the three-time welterweight title-fight loser from publicly sharing his uneducated opinion on the main event between [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag].

Muhammad became the undisputed 170-pound champion this past weekend after defeating Edwards by unanimous decision with an impressive performance at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. In an interview with Submission Radio, Covington said he wasn’t surprised by the result because he didn’t think Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) entered UFC 304 with anything to prove after Edwards beat him this past December to retain his title.

“Not really, just because I know that Leon made so much money in the last fight with me, that I don’t think he’s hungry anymore,” Covington said. “I think he’s lost his motivation. He has nothing more to fight for. What is he fighting for? He’s already achieved everything that he’s set out to do. He’s reached the top of the mountain. He’s not the type of guy that’s gonna get knocked down, get back up and fight harder. He’s a quitter. He’s shown it in the past, and you can tell he just doesn’t have that hunger anymore.

“I don’t know what happened in the fight or how the fight went, but I could just tell you that I knew Leon wasn’t gonna be motivated. I think that’s the last we saw of him. Now Leon can go back to the prelims where he belongs.”

Although Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) never has fought Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), they do have a history of exchanging trash talk. So even though Muhammad achieved two things this past weekend that Covington hasn’t by beating Edwards and claiming the undisputed UFC welterweight title, Covington’s assessment of the new champion was what you’d expect.

“The guy’s a f*cking p*ssy,” Covington said. “The only time that (Belal Muhammad) wanted to fight me was when I already had a title fight signed, sealed and delivered. That’s the only time he’s wanted to fight me, otherwise he’s never said my name because he’s a little b*tch. He knows what I would do to him. If I cross paths with him, he won’t be champion anymore. He won’t be a man anymore. I will take his man card. … I’d love to fight him. I hope that fight happens. I’ll do whatever it takes to get to that.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Belal Muhammad rejects Leon Edwards rematch after UFC 304: ‘Let him work his way back up’

Belal Muhammad gave Leon Edwards a taste of his own medicine in response to rematch questions after his UFC 304 title win.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] won’t be doing any favors for [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] after taking his title at UFC 304.

After the first fight between them ended in March 2021 ended in a no contest due to an accidentally eye poke from Edwards (21-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC), the rematch on Saturday in Manchester, England, ended very differently, with Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) capturing the welterweight champion by unanimous decision.

It was a tough slog for Muhammad, 36, to get his chance to end the narratives that he was en route to losing the first meeting before the foul halted the fight, but he took advantage when the opportunity came and got hold of the strap.

UFC CEO Dana White dismissed the idea of running back the matchup following UFC 304. Muhammad is in full agreement that it makes no sense, and “Rocky” is going to have to rack up some victories if he ever wants redemption of his own.

“I’ll give him a rematch in three years,” Edwards told reporters at the UFC 304 post-fight news conference. “Let him work his way back up. I think it was a dominant fight – there’s really no need for a rematch. And I don’t think he had that long reign of a champion where he’s entitled to a rematch. For me, I came to his hometown in front of his people, in enemy territory. It was all a layup for him. But I blocked it.”

Despite pushing Edwards to the wayside, Muhammad make it clear he does not intend to be a champion who picks his fights. He top goal is to build a legacy that surpasses that of the divisional GOAT, George St-Pierre, and to do that he wants to take out everyone who is perceived as a threat to his reign.

“I had to get Dana White for the opportunity – he promised I would get it and he stuck to his word,” Muhammad said. “He gave me this opportunity, so for me now it’s showing the UFC, showing Dana White and all them that I can be the best champion you have. The champion who fights all these guys.

“I want to be a champion like the reign of (Alexander) Volkanovski and (Israel) Adesanya where they looked at the next guy in line like, ‘Let me beat this guy.’ We never ducked anybody. We’re never ducking anybody. Point them out.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

UFC 304 fallout: Belal Muhammad title defense options and Leon Edwards’ path to regain gold

The aftermath of UFC 304 raises questions about what’s next for new champ Belal Muhammad and whether Leon Edwards can ever regain gold.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] made sure the history books remember his name, as he did something few are able to do – win a UFC championship.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) captured the welterweight title Saturday with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the UFC 304 main event from Manchester, England.

What does the shakeup mean for the future of the 170-pound division? Who should be Muhammad’s first title defense? Where does Edwards go after losing the strap in his first defeat in nearly nine years?

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MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia discussed those very topics in the latest edition of “Spinning Back Clique.”

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode below on YouTube and in podcast form.

https://www.youtube.com/live/9k7Kg6cunT4

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Leon Edwards on UFC 304 title loss to Belal Muhammad: ‘I will get this back in blood’

In the immediate aftermath of his title loss, Leon Edwards said the timing hindered him. Now he’s making a promise.

In the immediate aftermath of his title loss Saturday, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] said the timing of the fight hindered him.

UFC 304 took place in the middle of the night in Manchester, England, to accommodate the North American pay-per-view audience. Edwards (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) saw his run as welterweight champion come to an end with a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC).

Given a little more time to reflect on the setback, which came after wins in three straight title fights, Edwards posted on social media and vowed to return to champion status.

“To my fans I’m sorry I couldn’t get the job done this time,” Edwards posted on Instagram. “I have been through harder times than this in life and I will rise again. Thanks for all the love and support I will get this back in blood. #headshot”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-Ayojesx_f

Muhammad won the fight with a pair of 48-47 scores and a 49-46. At one point, he slammed Edwards on his head, and he controlled nearly half the 25-minute fight.

Edwards said it was hard to get started in a fight that wrapped up after 6 a.m. local time Sunday.

“I’m not surprised (by Belal’s performance),” Edwards told Daniel Cormier in the cage. “My body just felt tired from Round 1. All week, I’ve been feeling just tired from the timing. But congrats to Belal. He got the job done and we’ll get it back again.”

Edwards also made it clear he doesn’t want to sit out long. Whether or not a rematch is in the offing remains to be seen.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.