Leon Edwards wants Darren Till at UFC London, ridicules Jorge Masvidal’s posturing

Leon Edwards has been asking for a fight with fellow ranked welterweight and countryman Darren Till in the main event of UFC London, but believes the promotion or “The Gorilla” himself does not want the fight to happen.

With Edwards hailing from Birmingham and Till from Liverpool, “Rocky” believes an all-English marquee would appeal to the U.K. fans for the March 16 event.

“I think that the best fight for London is obviously me and Darren Till, but for some reason either him or the UFC don’t want to make it happen,” Edwards told Eurobash. “I think that is 100 percent the best fight for the U.K. fans.”

The Team Renegade fighter’s management team has been trying to convince the UFC that a bout pitting the country’s two top-ranked welterweights against each other is the right way to go for The 02 card.

“I’ve been calling for this fight since last March when I last fought in London and I’ve been calling him out ever since. I’ve mentioned it to the UFC as well through my management, they’ve been working on it too and trying to make the fight, but for some reason he doesn’t want it. He claims to be one of the best welterweights in the U.K., I know I’m the best welterweight in the U.K.,” Edwards added. “I feel like that should be sorted out in London in the main event.”

It appeared as though Edwards was potentially on the verge of securing a fight with Jorge Masvidal last year. “Gamebred” stated that he would be open to fighting Till in London earlier this week. The Liverpudlian noted Masvidal’s suggestion on Instagram, which only adds to Edwards’ frustrations as he tries to nail down a top welterweight opponent for London.

“It’s ridiculous because I’ve been calling both of them out for quite awhile now. First of all, Masvidal said he wouldn’t come to the U.K. and now I’m seeing this sh*t today about him and Darren. At this stage it’s just bullying, I’m trying to bully and force these guys into fighting me. I’ll say it again, the best fight for the U.K. is me versus Darren. Masvidal doesn’t even matter in the U.K., nobody even knows him there,” he said.

Currently boasting a six-fight win streak, Edwards believes that Till sees Masvidal’s two-fight skid and his lack of competition over the last 13 months resulting in a more a favorbale matchup for him.

“I think he thinks he matches up better stylistically with Masvidal. Coming off a loss he wants to get a win. If a man was calling me out, he was saying ‘Let’s go’ and it made sense, I would do it. I can’t tell you what’s in his head or what he’s thinking, but as I said, I’m ready for that fight. I’m training towards that fight, but if I don’t get it I will take a fight against someone else who’s going to push me towards the title,” explained Edwards.

“Masvidal is on a two-fight losing streak,” he continued. “He’s been doing that f*ckin’ TV show and all sorts!”

Edwards fears that if Till and Masvidal are matched, he may be left without a ranked opponent for his homecoming.

“All of these guys, for some reason, they don’t want to come to the U.K., but they want the U.K. guys to go to the States to fight them. I don’t know [if there will be trouble getting a ranked opponent], but I’ll take whoever leads me to the title. At the end of the day, my goal is that world title. I deserve a highly ranked opponent, or at least a big name opponent, to lead me to where I want to go. For me to go back and fight someone in the top 20, it makes no sense to me,” he said.

“The fans are behind me, but for some reason the guys in the top 10 don’t want it. They’re worried about how many social media followers I have. At the end of the day, it’s a Saturday night tear-up. I don’t understand what a straightner [fist fight] has to do with followers.”

With his last fight taking place in June, a unanimous decision win over Donald Cerrone at UFC Singapore, Edwards claimed the only fight that has been on the cards since then was against Masvidal, who he claims withdrew from the contest as soon as a bout between him and Nick Diaz was proposed.

“I was going to fight Masvidal in December. He agreed to it, I agreed to it, then he pulled out at the last minute and said that he’s waiting on Nick Diaz to fight him in December. That didn’t happen and now we’re here.”

Although he may not know who will be his dance partner yet, Edwards guarantees that he will fight in London on March 16.

“I’m 100 percent fighting in London. It’s just about getting an opponent now.”

Check out the latest episode of Eurobash. The Leon Edwards interview beings at 34:30.