Birmingham's Leon Edwards is set to meet Jorge Masvidal in grudge match at UFC 269 later this year. There has been bad blood between the pair since a backstage altercation in 2019.
Tuesday 12 October 2021 15:35, UK
One of the biggest grudges in the UFC welterweight division will be resolved later this year when Birmingham's Leon Edwards steps into the octagon with Jorge Masvidal.
According to Ariel Helwani, Edwards and Masvidal will square off against each other in a three-round bout at UFC 269, which takes place on December 11. ESPN's Brett Okamoto also reported that no contracts have been signed yet, but bout agreements have been sent to both parties.
The bad blood between the two started in 2019, when both men were involved in a backstage altercation at a UFC fight night in London. Masvidal struck Edwards, leaving the Brit with a significant cut under his eye.
Later in an interview, Masvidal would describe the punches as the now infamous "three piece and a soda".
The American is coming off consecutive losses against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, while Edwards currently has one of the best records in the division, with nine wins without loss. His last fight saw him defeat Nate Diaz at UFC 263 via unanimous decision.
Edwards' manager, Tim Simpson told ESPN: "Despite earning the next title shot, (Edwards) has always been willing to fight Jorge first, provided the terms were correct. We are very happy with the deal, and excited to compete in December, and then for a world title thereafter."
A lightweight title fight between champion Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier is set to headline UFC 269.
