Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards are two competitive welterweight contenders. On Saturday, both fighters won their respected matches at UFC Fight Night 147 in London, setting up a potential showdown between the two. The rivalry became a little more intense following UFC London as both fighters were involved in a backstage brawl that left Edwards with a cut under his left eye.
Masvidal (33-13) was conducting a live interview with ESPN backstage following his stunning knockout victory over Darren Till when Edwards walked by a taunted him with some words. Masvidal walked away from the interview to confront Edwards and cameras caught him throwing and landing a punch. The two were quickly separated and escorted away by security.
Masvidal attempted to explain how the incident unfolded to ESPN and defended his position.
"I'm doing my interview, and this hooligan comes by, saying stuff like, 'July, you'll get your ass kicked in July.'' I go, 'Maybe. Whatever. Maybe I want to kick your ass in April. Maybe I don't even want to fight you in the Octagon because it's not worth a training camp, I'll just fight you right here because you're a scrub.' I said, 'Just say it to my face, like a man. You're saying it as you walk away. We're both men.'
"I had my hands back to signal I'm not coming here with problems. But he put his hands up -- it's on video -- and walks towards me. Well, where I'm from, you do that, you're going to punch me in the face. And that's not going to happen."
Masvidal, who will likely face punishment for his actions, claimed he was defending himself from Edwards.
"I was scared. It might not have looked it, because I'm cold-blooded, but I was scared out of my life. I said, 'This hooligan is here and is going to assault me.' He shouldn't have done that and walked towards me like he was going to punch me. I got the first one in. Am I going to be in trouble because I got the first one in?"
Police were reportedly sent to the fighters' hotel in London to investigate, but Edwards' management team said he will not seek charges against Masvidal.
UFC president Dana White was stunned when he heard about the altercation. "I can't even believe that this happened," he told ESPN. "We need to do a much better job of making sure this s--- doesn't happen at any of our events."
Fellow welterweight contender Ben Askren, who had mentioned a possible match-up with Masvidal in a post-fight analysis on ESPN+, made light of the backstage fight.
UFC officials are reviewing the incident but did not offer any details about what's next for both fighters.