In March of 2019, both Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal fought at UFC London. In the main event, Masvidal knocked out Darren Till and in the co-main event, and Edwards won a split decision over Gunnar Nelson. Afterwards, while backstage giving interviews, Edwards and Masvidal got into a now famous altercation where Masvidal hit Edwards with “a three piece, with the soda.”
Normally, a moment like that would have inevitably led to a matchup between the two contenders, and in the aftermath, that was something Edwards was angling for.