A highly anticipated welterweight bout is being finalized as Jorge Masvidal is expected to finally meet Leon Edwards at UFC 269 on December 11.
One of the most anticipated non-title fights in recent years is due to finally take place as Jorge Masvidal is expected to face Leon Edwards on December 11. ESPN reports that the promotion is close to finalizing the bout for UFC 269.
Cageside Press subsequently confirmed the development with a source close to the situation.
The bout has been hotly anticipated since the two confronted each other following an event in London in 2019. That saw Masvidal get physical with a trash-talking Edwards, leaving him with small lacerations. Following the bout, Masvidal spoke with Brett Okamoto where he said he hit Edwards “with the three piece and a soda,” a line that went viral along with the video of the incident.
Edwards (19-3) is on a nine fight win-streak dating back to 2016 that has kept him on the cusp of title contention for the past several years. While injuries and other ailments have kept Edwards from keeping an active schedule, he remains one of the most consistent and highly regarded contenders in the division. He is most recently coming off a rout of Nate Diaz in June.
Masvidal (35-15) is looking to bounce back from two consecutive losses against Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title. After stepping in on short notice last July, “Gamebred” opted to hold out for a rematch with a full camp. After reigning champion Usman obliged, the two met in April in which Usman stopped Masvidal by second round knockout. The fight halted what had been a career best run in which Masvidal established himself as a pay-per-view draw despite not holding a true UFC title, BMF belt notwithstanding. Recently, Masvidal has also benefited from guest appearances with other American Top Team fighters on AEW Dynamite, the surging professional wrestling program on TNT.
Chris Jericho 🤝 Ben Askren@GamebredFighter brought back the flying knee 💥 (via @AEW) pic.twitter.com/moEpgjs7rr
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 25, 2021
The addition of Masvidal and Edwards makes UFC 269 one of the most loaded events of not only the calendar year but arguably all-time as it is also set to feature a championship triple-header with lightweight champion Charles Oliveira taking on Dustin Poirier, bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes taking on Julianna Pena, and flyweight champion Brandon Moreno taking on Deiveson Figueiredo. Currently, no location for the event has been officially announced.
