Leon Edwards is adamant that he needs to settle his score with Jorge Masvidal after “Gamebred” threw several punches at him in the backstage area of the 02 Arena following their respective wins at UFC London on Saturday night.
Edwards claims that he suggested that the two should meet in July when he saw Masvidal backstage while they both were doing media obligations. As captured during a live interview, Masvidal then approached the surging British welterweight with his hands behind his back before unleashing a flurry of punches, which cut “Rocky” under his eye.
“Masvidal’s a rat…I don’t know what f*ckin’ happened,” Edwards told Eurobash. “He was doing media, I was doing media, we both locked eyes together. I think I said, ‘We’ll go in July,’ or something like that and he said, ‘Maybe July, or maybe not,’ and blah, blah, blah.”
The Birmingham native rubbished Masvidal’s claim to ESPN that he prompted the exchange by raising his hands. According to his version of events, Edwards believes Masvidal cheap shotted him and then fled behind security.
“So he started walking over…I’m walking over. He says in that f*ckin’ video that I walked over with my hands up…if I walked over with my hands up I wouldn’t have got touched…he wouldn’t have thrown no shots,” Edwards stated.
“I walked over and he tried to cheap shot me, that’s it really. He threw a few cheap shots and then he ran behind security. All the security surrounded us and that was it. He’s making out like he’s some kind of bad boy. I don’t understand, how can you find respect in cheap-shotting somebody and running behind security?”
Edwards believes that without the presence of security, Masvidal wouldn’t have made it back to his hotel. He also gave insights on why he didn’t press charges despite police showing up at the fighter hotel to investigate the incident.
“He would’ve got hurt bad. He wouldn’t have made it back to the hotel…he would’ve got hurt very bad. I’m kind of glad security was there because I promise you, he would’ve got hurt very, very bad. He wouldn’t have made it on the flight. He can keep talking that sh*t and thinking he’s something that he’s not, but he would’ve got hurt bad and he should thank God that security was there to hold me back,” he said.
“They even phoned the police…the police came and everything. I ain’t pressing no f*ckin’ charges. My upbringing is different, I ain’t pressing charges on none of these guys; I don’t go to the police. He would’ve got hurt very bad and he’s lucky to make it back to where he’s from.”
He underlined his lack of concern with the cut he suffered, which was shown in a longer video that surfaced after the initial incident was broadcast.
“It’s only a little nick; I’m fine, I’m good. He threw a little cheap shot, obviously he had no wraps on and no gloves on, so the knuckle kind of grazed me a bit. It is what it is. I’m telling you, I wish the security weren’t there so I could get to him, but his day will come and we’ll see next time.
“I don’t know how they’re gonna make a fight between us because I’m telling you it’s going to be on sight. He cannot be in the same area as me or the same hotel as me. I’m going to f*ck this man up,” he added.
He revealed that the incident marred one of his career-best wins over Gunnar Nelson.
“100 percent, my focus was on just getting to [Masvidal]. I was shaking in anger, that’s how much I wanted to get to this man. I wasn’t even thinking about what I did, beating one of the best fighters in the world, that went out the window straight away as soon as this little rat tried to cheap shot me. His day will come soon and then we’ll see.”
After chasing a fight with Masvidal for the last year, “Rocky”—who is currently on a seven-fight win streak—insisted that a date with “Gamebred” or a title shot are the only fights he’s willing to accept after what transpired in London.
“It’s a weird situation. I was meant to fight [Masvidal] in December, he pulled out saying he was going to fight Nick Diaz and that fight didn’t happen. Hopefully they’ll make the fight soon and I’ll get to put my hands on this man; I look forward to it,” he said.
“They can’t come to me with nothing else but Masvidal. It’s either Masvidal or a title shot. I’m on a seven-fight win streak in one of the hardest divisions in the sport. I should’ve had a title shot already. Everyone else gets title shots off four or five wins. I’m on a seven-fight winning streak and I’m fighting back-to-back tough guys. It’s either smashing Masvidal’s head in or a title shot for me.”
Check out the latest episode of Eurobash. The Leon Edwards interview begins at 12:30.
Source: MMAFighting.com
