Leon Edwards watched as any chance of settling his grudge with Jorge Masvidal disappeared during UFC 287 after Masvidal lost to Gilbert Burns and subsequently announced his retirement from the UFC. The grudge between the two began after an altercation at a UFC London event in 2019. Edwards had hoped that Masvidal could resurrect himself as a legitimate contender so they could finally settle their differences in the octagon after Edwards became the UFC welterweight champion in August.

Edwards had been pursuing a fight with Masvidal as his most desired match since the altercation, the UFC didn’t show much interest at first and Masvidal wasn’t interested when the idea was eventually floated. Masvidal had a fruitful career after his five-second flying knee knockout over Ben Askren, but it ended on a four-fight losing streak.

Masvidal admitted that he didn’t feel the same anymore after a 20-year fight career, stating that it was time to pass on the torch. Edwards was still rooting for Masvidal to win in April, even though he knew that the chance of their fight happening had almost completely diminished.

Edwards believes that the result would have been the same regardless of whether they fought four years ago or more recently after Edwards claimed his title as the No. 1 welterweight in the world, as he just wanted to put a beating on Masvidal and knew that Masvidal was just not as good as him. Edwards expressed disappointment at not being afforded the opportunity to finally settle their differences in the octagon.