JORGE MASVIDAL is adamant he can convince Dana White to snub his current plans for the welterweight title.
UFC supremo White plans to pit champion Leon Edwards in a showdown against former title challenger Colby Covington, which is being targeted for July 22 in London.
GETTYBrit Leon Edward successfully defended his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman last night[/caption]
UFC boss Dana White has lined up Colby Covington as Edwards’ next opponentGetty
reutersBut rival Jorge Masvidal is adamant he can convince White to change his mind this weekend[/caption]
Edwards, however, isn’t keen on the fight and wants to throw down with Masvidal – who attacked him backstage at UFC London four years ago – in his second title defence.
And Gamebred believes a win over Gilbert Burns this weekend at UFC 287 in Miami will see him leapfrog his bitter rival in the title picture.
He told TMZ: “100 per cent[I can jump Colby]. I feel it in my heart, I see it in my mind
“UFC, at the end of the day is a pay-per-view selling business.
“And Colby’s b***h a** has never sold over 300,000 pay-per-views except when it was against me. What are him and Leon gonna do?”
White, however, is entrenched in his belief that Covington – who was the backup for Edwards’ title defence against Usman last month – will get the next crack at the 170lbs title.
The veteran promoter said: “That was a no-brainer.
“If Usman doesn’t exist Colby’s been the champ now for a while. He’s been there forever.
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“He cut the weight. He showed up to fill in for that fight and a million other reasons why he deserves that fight.
“I don’t blame Leon. Leon just got through Usman twice and now he’s looking at another wrestler now with a funky style that’s tough to deal with.
“When you become the champ, everybody’s coming after you.
“All the straight killers are coming after you for the next three times a f**king year, you’re faced with nothing but the baddest dudes in the world in your division.
“If you look at Usman and what he did – Usman ran through that division twice. Usman’s one of the greatest of all time. Leon just beat him twice.
Jorge Masvidal will bid to pick up his first win in nearly four years against Gilbert BurnsGETTY
“You’re the man, Leon. You’re the guy. And everyone’s coming after you, and it’s going to be Colby next.”
Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Burns will hope to stake own his claim for a title shot with a stellar showing against Gamebred.
But Masvidal insists the fight is, stylistically, a favourable one for him.
He said: “From a technical standpoint, I think this is a great match for me.
“I just have to show up, put my hard hat on, put my mouthpiece on, and get to work and just put the holes in this guy’s face.”