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The future of the welterweight division is looking bright with the upcoming matches of champion Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal. In the third month, Leon Edwards will be defending his title against Kamaru Usman, and despite being the reigning champion, he enters the match as an outsider.
Jorge Masvidal, Belal Muhammad and More Eyeing Their Shot
Three weeks later, Jorge Masvidal will be taking on Gilbert Burns, who has been showing significantly better performances lately. Nevertheless, Masvidal is confident about his chances, as he stated on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, “He (Gilbert Burns) will get the same thing that awaits Leon (Edwards) after I beat Gilbert.
Usman might get kicked in the face again and then I’ll fight Leon. It’s a cinematic ending. You don’t even see something like this in the movies”. Leon Edwards, who was also a guest on The MMA Hour, expressed his interest in a match against Masvidal. “For sure.
If he goes out there and beats Gilbert, I think that’s the fight to make,” said Edwards. “It’s been a long time, three, four years brewing. Let’s get in there and settle it once and for all and go from there”.
The tension between the two warriors dates back to the third month of 2019 when Masvidal and Edwards were performing at a UFC event in London. During an interview, Masvidal was hit with a few punches from Edwards, which left him with a cut under his eye.
Despite their past encounter, Masvidal reached the peak of his career and fame and rejected Edwards. However, the situation has now changed, as Edwards is the reigning champion and holds the cards. “It’s fun to see, two, three years ago, they didn’t know who I was,” said Edwards.
“Now I’m king of the division. Little old Leon slid in, took it away, and now it’s back in Birmingham, sitting on my table. It’s all good. I’m focused on Usman. He’s the hardest fight in the division.
So I’m focused on him, get past him, and from there we’ll see who is next”. Belal Muhammad is also a likely candidate to be the next challenger and has unfinished business with Edwards. The two fought in the third month of 2021, but the fight ended early in the second round as Belal was unable to continue after an accidental eye poke from Edwards.
However, Edwards is not willing to give Belal a shot without him earning it, “Every day I go on social media, there’s something about me that he’s posting. Move on with your life”. The welterweight division is in for an exciting time with the champion Leon Edwards defending his title and Jorge Masvidal, Belal Muhammad, and others eyeing their shot.