Masvidal Confident Of Title Shot With Statement Victory At UFC 287

The UFC welterweight division has almost always been at the top of the list of every combat sports fan’s list, and Leon Edwards finds himself atop it after claiming the title from Kamaru Usman in spectacular fashion in August 2022.

UFC president Dana White has dubbed No. 2-ranked Colby Covington as the next challenger to Edwards’ reign, and Jorge Masvidal has taken offense to such sentiments.

During his time on the podium at the UFC 287 pre-fight press conference, Masvidal pointed out why he believes the controversial Covington does not deserve the next shot at welterweight gold.

“The UFC’s a pay-per-view selling business. [explicit] Colby ain’t never broke 300,000 pay-per-view [buys] except when he fought me. Leon’s not a pay-per-view draw. All of a sudden, what, they’re just putting on events to put him on? I don’t think so. As long as I do my job Saturday, everything else will fall into place,” a confident Masvidal declared.

The job that Masvidal was referring to in his statement is his upcoming bout against No. 5-ranked Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 287.

Masvidal is entering the bout as a heavy +390 underdog against the -490 favorite Burns, which makes sense when comparing their recent performances inside the Octagon.

The Brazilian has amassed a record of 4-2 in his last six bouts, the most recent being an arm-triangle submission victory over Neil Magny in January.

However, he also lost at the hands of the white-hot Khamzat Chimaev nearly a year ago on Sunday, April 9.

In Masvidal’s case, he has not seen the winners’ circle since 2019 when he defeated Nate Diaz by TKO, losing to Usman twice in 2020 and 2021, the latter being a second-round knockout that was followed up by a unanimous decision loss to Covington in March 2022.

It should be noted that his 2021 bout against Usman was for the welterweight title and when asked about who should be next in line against Edwards, “Gamebred” was quick to throw his hat in the ring.

“I never underestimate anybody who has two hands and two feet, but I don’t stop thinking about also that after this fight, I’m going to England. I’m going to use that belt to beat it over Leon’s [Edwards] head then come back to this great country and defend that belt,” Masvidal brazenly stated.

“It’s not something that I don’t think of. It’s in the back of my mind definitely, but first things first, Gilbert [Burns]. Eliminate him in an impressive fashion and nobody will talk of nobody else fighting for [the title], but me.”

Talking about his matchup against Burns, Masvidal noted that while “Durinho” has otherworldly skills on the ground and in the stand-up, “he’s not the best” at ensuring the fight goes either way.

“I would rank him dangerous in both the standup and the ground, but also at the same time, a very, very fitting style for myself,” Masvidal assessed.

Masvidal is entering UFC 287 with the hope that an impressive victory over Burns might change the UFC president’s mind about choosing Covington as the next welterweight title contender.