Dana White finally outlines title shot roadmap for Jorge Masvidal prior to UFC 287 fight.
On April 8, ‘Gamebred’ makes his 22nd Octagon appearance against Gilbert Burns in the UFC 287 co-main event. There has been some controversy about what’s at stake between the elite welterweights after the UFC president confirmed Colby Covington is next in line for Leon Edwards, the reigning 170-pound champion.
During an interview with TMZ Sports, White had this to say about Masvidal’s path to a title shot:
“Let me tell you what’s going to happen. If he goes in and he does that against a guy like Gilbert Burns, whom I have a ton of respect for. Gilbert Burns is an absolute badass. Then you have Colby Covington versus Leon Edwards. And if Leon Edwards beats Colby Covington, the history between Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal, and they both win these fights, that fight will be so huge. People would be dying to see that fight. It would be absolutely massive, and maybe we do it back in Miami.”
Masvidal has lost his last three UFC fights, with two coming against Kamaru Usman and another against Covington. With that said, ‘Gamebred’ is a massive superstar and has a history with Edwards after a physical altercation backstage at a UFC event in March 2019. The Miami native and his upcoming opponent, Burns, believe they should be fighting for a title shot instead of ‘Chaos’.
Watch Dana White discuss Jorge Masvidal’s path to a title shot below from 2:20 onwards.
Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns boo Dana White after confirming Colby Covington is getting the next welterweight title shot
Dana White has received backlash after announcing that Colby Covington will fight Leon Edwards next. The confusion hasn’t just been from the fans. Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns voiced their frustration at the UFC 287 press conference by booing the UFC president when he said this:
“Colby Covington, like him or not, the guy showed up in London and cut weight. He did what he was supposed to do, he deserves the fight against Leon, there’s no doubt. We will see how this fight turns out on Saturday night and the best-case scenario is one of these guys is next.”
Covington last fought in March 2022, defeating Masvidal by unanimous decision. Since then, ‘Chaos’ has been inactive due to an alleged physical altercation with ‘Gamebred’ at a restaurant in Miami, Florida. The former interim welterweight champion appeared as the backup for the UFC 286 main event between Edwards and Kamaru Usman, leading to Dana White declaring he was the next title challenger.