Leon Edwards’ coach slams Jorge Masvidal, and says bitter rival must ‘wait at the back of the line’
Jorge Masvidal will have to wait ‘at the back of the line’ for a shot at Leon Edwards, according to the new welterweight champion’s coach Dave Lovell.
Masvidal and Edwards have been on a collision course for three years after an incident backstage at UFC London, but a proposed fight in December 2021 fell through because the American was injured.
Now after a stunning final round head-kick knockout against Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 over the weekend, Edwards has become only the second British UFC champion in history.
Leon Edwards knocked Kamaru Usman out with a head kick in the last round of UFC 278
Jorge Masvidal has been told he will have to wait for his shot at long-time rival Edwards
Meanwhile, 37-year-old Masvidal has lost three on the bounce, and hasn’t fought since March, when he lost to Colby Covington.
Lovell says that ‘Gamebred’ has fallen down the pecking order to be next to take on Edwards for a shot at the title.
‘Leon has been climbing the hill for a long time, as you know,’ Lovell told MMA Junkie. ‘And he’s tried to reach the top and each time he does, he’s been knocked back, knocked back, knocked back.
‘But now he’s climbed the top. Now he can be the one at the top of the mountain knocking back people. Well, you can stand at the back of the line, Mr. Masvidal, for starters.’
He added: ‘Mr. Masvidal, you little rat Judas, your time will come also, but we’re picking on our terms. The same way you told Leon wait at the back of the line, well you wait now, mate, because Leon is at the top of the hill.’
Dave Lovell went viral for his pep talk to Leon Edwards before the Brit’s last round KO of Usman
Edwards is likely to match up with Usman again, but could fight someone else in the meantime as the Nigerian-American recovers from his knockout loss over the weekend.
As previously reported by MailOnline, Lovell went viral in the days following the win, for his rousing pep talk to ‘Rocky’, telling the 31-year-old to stop ‘feeling sorry for your f***ing self’ in the moments before the fight.
And behind-the-scenes footage also showed how Edwards’ team Renegade MMA, including Lovell and fellow trainer Henry Cleminson, masterminded the final minute head kick which floored Usman by drilling it with ‘Rocky’ so he could pull it off to perfection when it really mattered, inflicting Usman’s first ever UFC defeat.
