Leon Edwards and BMF Champion Jorge Masvidal have been heated rivals ever since their backstage brawl at UFC Fight Night London.
Edwards says he and the UFC have been trying to book the fight with Masvidal, but Masvidal keeps turning it down.
?Yeah, I think that?s the annoying part,? Edwards told Submission Radio (via Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting). ?Cause the UFC wants the fight, like, especially the Jorge fight. I know he went to the UFC and he said he won?t fight me unless I got the title or whatever. But I believe he needs to fight someone in the top five to get to a title, which he?s not doing. So, it?s frustrating, cause the UFC wants it, I want it, but the other guys, they?re saying no cause I?m a hard fight and they don?t want to lose. So, I don?t know.?
Masvidal will now move onto a rematch with Nate Diaz, sometime in 2021, while Edwards hasn?t fought since last year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The one thing Edwards says he?ll do is fight Masvidal on-site since Masvidal has allegedly avoided fighting him inside of the Octagon.
?He?s come out and said he doesn?t want none of the smoke with me, he?ll only fight me for that world title. So, I?m kind of over it now,? Edwards said. ?He doesn?t want to fight. So, when I see him, we?ll be on site fighting, and he knows what it is when we see each other. It is what it is. You cannot force a man into a fight, right? If he says he don?t want to fight, you can?t. Nothing you can do to force him into it. I want it, the UFC want it. He keeps saying he doesn?t want it. So, what more can I do??
Even though Masvidal is the current BMF Champion, it is Edwards who is ranked ahead of him in the UFC welterweight division.
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