Thompson and Burns weigh-in on Leon Edwards declining Jorge Masvidal fight

Sounds like Leon just retired then, because it’s already clear he needs to be more active to get a shot. He should be chomping at the bit to get a shot @ Jorge after getting lit up by him. I think Burns is right, he doesn’t like to fight.

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Edwards is 100% right.

A win over Masvidal doesn’t mean shit. The guy lost his last two fights while Edwards is on a 9 fight win streak.

If you don’t agree, you’re a fuckin moron.

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Rankings mean shit when youre a big name. Beat Masvidal/get more popular, fight for the title and it’ll sell more PPVs

Obviously waiting for a title shot isnt working out and he only has one win in 2+ years

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Why would Masdival take that fight…he’s already 1-0

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Fucking ridiculous on Leon’s behalf in my opinion.

He doesn’t deserve a shot yet. Jorge is a winnable fight and if he did win no one could deny him.

Plus the fight would make a heap of money.

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Leon was promised a title fight if he bought Nate though. He doesn’t deserve one for beating Nate though and Leon offers nothing for Usman . Leon/Masvidal is a more interesting style matchup and there’s obvious bad blood

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Like Darren Till said - if Leon is ever gonna be champ it needs to happen now.

The guy needs to take these fights or he’s gonna sit around and end up nowhere.

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Leon is the worst self marketer in combat sports history. A win over Mas may actually gain him some fans. He has zero clue how this game works.

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I don’t think his win over diaz gained him any new fans.

If Edwards’ next fight is for the title this is the right move, unless it means sitting on the sidelines for another year until he gets that championship fight.

I suppose if you ignore the concept of prize fighting and making as much money as possible in your career you might have a point.

Someone like Edwards struggles for fan attention, and one of the best ways to make fans or at least gain fan attention is to beat someone who actually has them. That’s not to mention the fact this is a fight sport and Masvidal made Edwards look bad outside the cage once already.

Edwards should be fighting Masvidal not only for the “easy” payday, but to gain massive attention that he needs so badly and which would help him to get to a title fight as well as boost his career substantially. Overall, this is a terrible business decision by Edwards.

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I hear ya. I’d love to see Edward’s fight Masvidal and redeem himself.

I just think Masvidal needs to work his way back up the ladder first.

Edwards is in a tough spot. If you’re him you know you feel you absolutely deserve a shot. He really needed to finish Nate and not fight so damn conservative. Looked like he could have opened up at any time and put it on Nate. He’s so sharp just needs to fight with more confidence. A fight with Vicente is interesting. Too bad Vicente is taking the pointless popularity fight.

Leon is a pain in the ass. Won’t fight a contender to save his life. Takes years off to come back and have that shit with Belal, then beats Nate and somehow thinks he is the top contender.

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Fine. The reverse also applies.

Edwards is a nobody. Jorge is extremely popular.

This is prize fighting. It isn’t a tournament.

If Leon wants to make money HE is a fucking moron for turning down a fight that could boost his name.

If you are popular you have a much better chance to get a title shot thus more money. Jorge had TWO he didnt earn with ranking but popularity.

He isnt a draw and this is a fight that could change that.

Moron.

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He only lost to the champion twice also. It means jorge is top contender status. Hence a win over him by Leon makes him a top contender which is exactly what he wants

/end thread

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I agree with those saying he should.take the fight.

It is known on this forum that rankings mean norhing. The popularity ranking is way more important.

Jorge is a name with a real grudge. Diaz was to Jorge what Jorge could be to Evans.

Edwards would win, but even in a good loss he would still move forward.

Unkown, inactive guy turning down a winnable fight that is a legit grudge match with one of the bigger names? Crazy.

Prediction: Edwards will.end up fighting Maz anyway, on the undercard at the end of their UFC runs and nobody will really care.

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