Jorge Masvidal could replace Kamaru Usman against Leon Edwards

This was announced in an interview with Fred Talks Fighting by the former contender for the UFC welterweight title, Stephen Thompson.

According to him, the former division champion, Kamaru Usman, does not have time to recover from surgery on his arm, so on March 18 at UFC 286 in London, Leon Edwards will defend the championship belt against Jorge Masvidal.

“People are talking about how I could fight Leon Edwards,” Wonderboy said. “But the thing is, Kamaru Usman had surgery on his hand and I know they need an opponent for March and they’re leaning towards Jorge Masvidal. He is a striker, which certainly inspires me because there are so many wrestlers in our division. Leon Edwards is also a drummer and he is a champion. Fighting any of these guys would be amazing.”

Indirectly, the American’s statement confirms the fact that the British number event was officially announced, but the organization is in no hurry to announce a rematch between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman, who were supposed to head the show.

On August 20 at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City, Leon Edwards shocked the world of mixed martial arts, 56 seconds before the end of the title fight with a kick to the head, knocking out Kamara Usman, who had won the fight confidently until that moment. Thus, the British fighter avenged the defeat of seven years ago, when he lost to the Nigerian by unanimous decision after three rounds.

As for Jorge Masvidal, in March 2019, behind the scenes of the UFC Fight Night 147 tournament in London, he had a skirmish with Leon Edwards, during which the Briton received a serious cut. Last year, the fighters were supposed to share the octagon, but Masvidal was injured and dropped out of the fight.

In March of this year, Masvidal suffered a third defeat in a row, after two unsuccessful title confrontations with Usman, losing by unanimous decision to Colby Covington.