UFC London is in the books, and while the card didn’t provide as much action as hoped, it’s bright spots were awfully entertaining. The welterweight division, in particular, got a large dose of clarity out of the evening, with Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards reasserting their positions as elite talents at the cost of Darren Till and Gunnar Nelson, respectively. On top of that, there was controversial judging, reffing, and even some dirty fighting, all to muddy the waters of some of the less meaningful match-ups. So, can Jorge Masvidal really cut in line ahead of his BFF for a shot at the belt? Is Claudio Silva just too weird to fight more than once every few years? And how big a push is the UFC going to want to give Dominick Reyes off his questionable win over Volkan Oezdemir? To answer all these questions – and a couple more – I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby method of fight booking from UFC years gone bye. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. If you’d like to take your own shot at some fantasy matchmaking, leave a comment below starting with, “This is my 31st professional fight, I’ve never stuck to a gameplan once.” I’ll pick one winner from the responses to join me next time. This week’s winner is BE reader “MichaelOrvieto” (aka Michael Orvieto): My name is Michael Orvieto (@MichaelOrvieto on Twitter), and I have been a fan of mixed martial arts for as long as I can remember. I started watching the UFC with my father in the early 2000s, and instantly got hooked. I currently serve as an Avionics Instructor in the United States Air Force. JORGE MASVIDAL Michael - Jorge Masvidal silenced the O2 Arena on Saturday with a huge KO over Darren Till and $100K in bonuses. He wants to fight for the title, but I think he will need another high profile win to be considered a contender. Although Usman’s manager stated that he thinks Masvidal deserves the next shot, I am not so sure the UFC will book that just yet. While Ben Askren and Leon Edwards are both options, I think a matchup against former Welterweight Champion, Tyron Woodley, would put him in range of the title. Masvidal vs. Tyron Woodley Zane - I can’t honestly see Masvidal willingly just cut in front of Covington for a title shot (unless they’re just ice cold like that), but provided Covington loses his fight with Usman, I definitely think Masvidal wouldn’t be poorly served to wait and keep himself as next in line. Unless ‘Wonderboy’ gets a spectacular win over Pettis, Masvidal is really the only fighter primed for a shot at the belt other than his ‘Chaos.’ For the sake of argument, though, and assuming he won’t wait – or even maybe that Covington wins – then I’d be 100% down to see him face Tyron Woodley. Of course, Edwards has really put an easy angle to his own fight with ‘Gamebred’ as well, and I’d be fine with that, but Tyron Woodley vs. Jorge Masvidal feels more like the fight that a longtime vet like Masvidal deserves if he’s not going to get an instant shot at the champ. DARREN TILL Michael - Darren Till was on the receiving end of a vicious knockout. He was looking good in Round 1 against Masvidal, but got caught in Round 2. Robbie Lawler just had a controversial loss against Ben Askren, and Rafael Dos Anjos lost to Usman. Both are decent matchups for Till, but I think Robbie Lawler and Till both need a big win. They should go head-to-head to prove who belongs at the top of the Welterweight division. Till vs. Lawler Zane - Till is quickly hitting that Cody Garbrandt sweet spot of both being a fighter the UFC would really like to keep in big, high level fights, and a fighter who may not be ready to regularly compete at the highest level and win. Fights like Lawler and RDA would be tons of fun, but he could probably use a real, actual step back right now. Fights against Gunnar Nelson or Neil Magny would both be not bad, just for the lower chance of getting KTFO in the process. And a fight against Anthony Rocco Martin might present an interesting opportunity for a new face looking to make a real charge at the elite. But, I think it’s worth being a bit more of a wild card here and asking Till to make some real changes. So, I’ll say go up to middleweight and give Brad Tavares a try. Maybe cutting less weight will help up his output and improve his durability. LEON EDWARDS Michael - Leon Edwards has been undefeated since 2016 (unless you count the loss backstage in the scrap with Masvidal). With 7 in a row, I think he is ready to take a shot at the top 10. Powerful striker, Santiago Ponzinibbio is also on a 7-fight win streak, which would make the two a great matchup for their next fight. Edwards vs. Ponzinibbio Zane - Edwards very well may have bought himself a fight against Jorge Masvidal if he can spin their backstage scuffle into some legit promotional heat. Masvidal likely wants bigger things, but so does everyone in that division. The matchup with Ponzinibbio also has a very natural feel to it. Two men on the cusp of the top 10, riding significant win streaks, looking to turn success into name fights. But in the interest of throwing Edwards something of a bone, and in the interest of actually having Ben Askren earn his way up the rankings a bit, why not do Leon Edwards vs. Ben Askren. Edwards has proven time and again to be a rock solid MMA wrestler, and Askren’s boxing is a mess. Give Edwards the bigger fight he wants and maybe make things a little harder on the guy trying to pick and choose his way into title contention. Let Edwards try his luck against ‘Funky’ Ben. GUNNAR NELSON Michael - Gunnar Nelson is coming off a tough loss. He got outworked by Leon Edwards. While he ended up in full mount in the final minute of the fight, it seems it was a little too late as Edwards was able to ride it out into a decision. Neil Magny, who is also coming off a loss, would be a decent matchup for the Icelandic fighter. Curtis Millender is another option, as is veteran fighter Carlos Condit. If the Vicente Luque vs. Neil Magny fight doesn’t play out, I think Neil Magny is the best next opponent for Nelson. Nelson vs. Magny Zane - A really rough loss for Gunni, and one that feels like it puts a firm barrier between him and the true elite of 170 lbs. If he couldn’t overwhelm Edwards’ wrestling, or Maia’s, how’s he gonna do against Covington, Usman, or Woodley? However, welterweight is a mile deep and – if he’s going to be sentenced to scrapping at the edges of the top 15 – there are a few fights that still hold interest. Michel Prazeres, or Sergio Moreas spring immediately to mind, or he could go winner/loser with Chiesa. For my money, that Moraes fight just seems like too much fun to pass up. Gunnar Nelson vs. Sergio Moraes for all the winging-punches-into-aggressive-graps action. DOMINICK REYES Michael - Dominick Reyes is on a big win streak. With an 11-0 record, 4-0 in the UFC, he is ready for some top contenders. I would like to see Reyes take on Johnny Walker, and have the winner of that fight go on to face the Light Heavyweight Champion. Both men have ended more than a few of their fights in the 1st round, which would make this an exciting main event for a Fight Night. Reyes vs. Walker Zane - Not quite the performance fans were hoping for out of either man.<doc-sep>One of the big storylines coming into UFC Fight Night 147: “Till vs. Masvidal” on ESPN+ last night (Sat., March 16, 2019) was Ben Askren’s arrival in London, England, to pick a fight with the winner. Askren had announced following his controversial win over Robbie Lawler that he’d be cageside inside O2 Arena, and several run-ins with Darren Till that nearly turned into scuffles occurred over fight week. It was all setting up a pretty hype fight between Askren and Till ... until Jorge Masvidal spoiled things by knocking Till out cold with a wild left hook in the second round (watch it here). Now, Askren (who came wearing an interesting ‘Curly Haired F**k’ shirt) is reacting with palpable disappointment. Kind of sad about Till, that was gonna be a lot of fun. — Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 16, 2019 ”Kind of sad about Till, that was going to be a lot of fun,” Askren wrote, following it up with, “Masvidal just started a fight backstage with Leon Edwards so he doesn’t have to fight me next!” Masvidal just started a fight backstage with Leon Edwards so he doesn’t have to fight me next — Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 16, 2019 Masvidal and Edwards did indeed end up in a scuffle backstage that saw “Gamebred” hit “Rocky” multiple times. Afterward, Dana White seemed to blame UFC for allowing the incident to happen instead of the fighters involved. Could Masvidal walk away without any repercussions? Possibly, which would be all right with Askren, who needs Masvidal to avoid getting booked into an immediate rematch with Robbie Lawler. If not Masvidal, then maybe Covington? Lololol his last win before Till was a January 2017. Ali you are a fool, if Marty doesn’t want to fight Colby I would happily oblige. https://t.co/VjRb7EWesy — Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 17, 2019 What do you think of those potential match ups, Maniacs?<doc-sep>James Chance/Getty Images UFC welterweight fighters Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards were involved in a backstage fight following UFC Fight Night 147: Till vs. Masvidal at the O2 Arena in London. ESPN MMA provided video of the altercation: "I can't even believe that this happened," UFC President Dana White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto. "We need to do a much better job of making sure this s--t doesn't happen at any of our events." The incident occurred after Masvidal and Edwards each won their respective main-card fights Saturday night. Masvidal earned a second-round knockout of Darren Till in the main event, and Edwards secured a split-decision triumph over Gunnar Nelson on the undercard. Ariel Helwani of ESPN reported police were called to investigate the situation: It's unclear what sparked the verbal confrontation that led to the fight.<doc-sep>
Leon Edwards goes into detail about what was said during his backstage fight with Jorge Masvidal. (1:58) Edwards: Masvidal 'got away this time, it will never happen again' (1:58) LONDON -- A postfight melee broke out backstage between UFC welterweights Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards on Saturday shortly after Masvidal's stunning victory over Darren Till in the main event of UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. Masvidal (33-13) knocked out Till in the second round of their fight. Minutes later, while Masvidal was doing a live interview with ESPN backstage, Edwards walked by and directed some words toward him. Masvidal left the interview to confront Edwards and was then caught on camera throwing and landing a few punches to Edwards' face. The two were quickly separated, and the incident did not escalate further. Edwards suffered a cut under his left eye and was treated before leaving the arena. Sources told ESPN's Ariel Helwani that local police went to the fighters' hotel in London to investigate. Before the altercation, Edwards, who defeated Gunnar Nelson via unanimous decision in the co-main event Saturday, had told ESPN he had hoped to fight Masvidal next. "I'm doing my interview, and this hooligan comes by, saying stuff like, 'July, you'll get your ass kicked in July,'" Masvidal said. "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 claimed he was defending himself because he felt Edwards "threatened my life." play 1:27 Edwards suffers cut in backstage fight with Masvidal Jorge Masvidal abruptly walks away from an interview to confront Leon Edwards, throwing punches that cause a cut to Edwards' face. "I was scared," he said. "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?" Edwards' management team said he will not seek charges against Masvidal. "Leon is fine," his team said in a statement. "We will cooperate with the UFC as they investigate the matter." UFC president Dana White expressed surprise over the postfight altercation, telling ESPN, "I can't even believe that this happened. We need to do a much better job of making sure this s--- doesn't happened at any of our events." UFC senior vice president David Shaw told reporters he had seen video of the incident but didn't have any further details about any potential next steps that could be taken.