Leon Edwards Trashes Jorge Masvidal & Ben Askren Following Latest Win

Jorge Masvidal became the first man ever to defeat Ben Askren, and he did so in historically fast fashion. But clearly, Leon Edwards wasn’t impressed with what went down at UFC 239.

Masvidal faced Askren earlier this month on July 6th, and bombed-out the decorated wrestler in just five seconds. Due to that victory, as well as Masvidal’s jaw-dropping KO of Darren Till in March, “Gamebred” could very well be next for a shot at the welterweight crown.

Edwards, meanwhile, has also been putting together a strong case for a title shot. On Saturday night, the surging welterweight outstruck Rafael dos Anjos to earn a unanimous decision win, and his 8th straight victory. After the bout, Edwards wasted no time before calling out his rival Masvidal,and while discussing “Gamebred’s” title shot hunt, he said this (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“Who has Masvidal beat?” Edwards said. “He beat Ben Askren, Ben Askren has fought nobody. He got a close victory against Robbie (Lawler). Apart from that I couldn’t tell another person who’s he beat that’s a big name. He went to China or wherever it was and stacked a 9-0 record, came to the UFC, and then talked a lot of (expletive), and then he got to No. 5 above me, which is weird.”

“…“I believe Masvidal is an amateur. He has beaten nobody that I can say that he is amazing,” Edwards said. “He did a flying knee against Ben; Ben is an amateur. He’s slow, he’s old, he is a grappler. He’s taken big confidence from it. It’s one of those things that, if they fought 10 out of 10 times, that would never happen again. I believe I am better than Masvidal anywhere in the fight, and I’ll get an opportunity to prove it.”

Now, when you consider Masvidal has also defeated the likes of Till and Donald Cerrone, not everyone’s going to be on board with Edwards’ critique here. That said, Masvidal isn’t far removed from consecutive losses to Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia.

Askren, meanwhile, is a former Bellator and ONE champion, and he does hold a win over Douglas Lima, who is one of the most dangerous welterweights on the planet. One could certainly question, however, whether Askren has faced the same level of competition other UFC contenders have on a regular basis.

All that said, as it stands right now, it doesn’t seem like Masvidal’s interested in facing Edwards next. The veteran’s already shot down Edwards’ callout and has said he’s waiting for his title shot. That might not be the case, however, if Colby Covington can score a big win over Robbie Lawler on August 3rd.