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UFC 269 has lost a big fight with news that an injury has knocked Jorge Masvidal out of his planned welterweight clash with Leon Edwards. UFC’s chief business officer Hunter Campbell told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto of the news. The fight has been more than two years in the making after a March 2019 backstage brawl between the two men at a UFC Fight Night card in London.
After the event, Edwards interrupted a Masvidal interview backstage, leading Masvidal to follow Edwards before hitting him with a quick combination of punches. It was this situation that led Masvidal to drop a now-iconic line, saying he gave Edwards “a three-piece and a soda.”
Masvidal is winless since 2019, having fought Kamaru Usman for the welterweight championship twice, first losing a decision in July 2020 and then suffering a brutal second-round knockout in their rematch this past April. A win over Edwards would have kept Masvidal near the top of the division, but there have also been talks of a grudge match with Colby Covington in his future.
The fight’s cancellation is yet another setback for Edwards, who went through an extended stretch of inactivity driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries that repeatedly delayed, and ultimately canceled, a planned fight with Khamzat Chimaev. After nearly two years out of action, Edwards returned to face Belal Muhammad in March, only for the fight to end in a no contest after an Edwards eye poke. He would finally score a victory in June, beating Nate Diaz via five-round decision, though he was badly rocked in the final round after dominating the action for the first four rounds.
Edwards is riding a nine-fight winning streak dating back to a December 2015 loss to Kamaru Usman.
According to a report from ESPN, it is not yet decided if the fight between Masvidal and Edwards will be rescheduled or if Edwards will remain on the card.