Jorge Masvidal takes aim at Leon Edwards and says 'Rocky' is ducking him: "I know he wouldn’t fight me"

Jorge Masvidal retired from mixed martial arts in April 2023 following his unanimous decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. It marked the fourth consecutive loss for 'Gamebred', a streak that began with two consecutive welterweight title bout losses to Kamaru Usman.

He recently revealed that he is planning to return to mixed martial arts, and while he wants to face Leon Edwards, Masvidal doesn't believe the former welterweight champion would accept a bout. Speaking to Damon Martin of MMA Fighting, he stated:

"I tried [to fight Edwards]. Leon don't want this f**king smoke, man. He had other options. He went for other things instead of accepting a fight with me. I'll tell you that much."

When asked to clarify if he believes 'Rocky' would refuse to face him, Masvidal responded:

"Yeah, I know he wouldn't fight me. He don't want that s**t. He already got offered it and he turned it down. That guy don't want this s**t... I'll tell you right now, Leon, I will whoop your f**king a**, bro. Let's f**king go. I don't know, December 7, maybe, in Vegas. Maybe next year at the Super Bowl. I don't know, but I'll beat the f**k out of your skinny a**."

Check out Jorge Masvidal's comments on Leon Edwards below (starting at the 19:02 mark):

While Masvidal never had the opportunity to face Edwards, the two were famously involved in a backstage incident in 2019. The former landed multiple punches on the latter following UFC Fight Night 147, claiming he delivered a 'three-piece and a soda'. They appeared in line to settle the rivalry at UFC 269, however, 'Gamebred' was forced to withdraw with an injury.

Daniel Cormier questions Jorge Masvidal's return

Jorge Masvidal appears to be gearing up to make his return to mixed martial arts after losing a boxing match against Nate Diaz via majority decision in July. Daniel Cormier recently questioned his return on his self-titled YouTube channel, stating:

"Jorge Masvidal should be commended for doing what he did to reach the levels of stardom that he did, because when you look at his career as a whole, you really do see a guy that spent the vast majority of his prime, the vast majority of his youth, as a middling fighter... It boils down to one year where Jorge Masvidal made you guys care, and it made him a star, but my question to you now is, do you still care?"

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments on Jorge Masvidal below (starting at the 4:14 mark):

Cormier questioned if the fanbase will care about Masvidal as they did in 2019. The former welterweight title challenger will need to make a statement in his return to recreate some of the hype that surrounded him before the losing streak that led to his retirement.