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The UFC always has big fights looming and stars waiting to return to the octagon. The leading MMA league saw the return of Conor McGregor in 2026, though it lasted only 69 seconds. Fans are always wondering what surprises the UFC has in store, and the return of a former superstar seems to be in the works. Inaugural BMF champion and former welterweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal has teased a return to the octagon for over a year now. Now it seems to be more real than ever. MORE: UFC power rankings following Fight Night 285 in Sacramento Masvidal is a seasoned UFC veteran and one of the most popular fighters ever. His stardom began with an upset knockout over Darren Till at UFC Fight Night 147. Then Masvidal’s stock shot up to the moon as he turned in one of the most viral knockouts of all time. Against Ben Askren, Masvidal recorded the fastest knockout in UFC history, at 5 seconds of the first round. Masvidal charged towards the middle of the octagon and landed a flying knee that sent Askren to the shadow realm. MORE: UFC Shanghai: Umar Nurmagomedov vs Song Yadong’ main card predictions After scoring that KO, Masvidal won the inaugural BMF title over UFC legend Nate Diaz. The BMF title win propelled him to contender status at 170, but Masvidal couldn’t get over the hump. Two losses to then-champion Kamaru Usman were the start of Masvidal’s UFC exit, but now a return is imminent. There’s only one opponent that makes sense. Jorge Masvidal vs Leon Edwards has to happen Masvidal spoke with MMA Junkie’s Jero Guerra on Sunday and talked about his return and who he could face. “I’ve been talking to the UFC. Could be this year, could be early next year; we’ve been talking for a little bit, and numbers are getting closer and closer and better and better. So might be some big news coming soon.” Masvidal was also asked about the idea of Leon Edwards being his return opponent. His answer is as follows. “Leon is definitely a prospect. Leon’s definitely somebody that I would like to get back in and close that chapter out.” For context, Masvidal and Edwards never fought in the UFC, but did fight in the hallway of the O2 Arena in London. The two fought different opponents on the Fight Night card and then ended up talking smack to one another in the back. This led to Masvidal casually walking up to Edwards, landing three punches on him, and cutting him open. As Masvidal called it, he landed a “three-piece and a soda” on Edwards. Since the scuffle, the two have never settled their beef. Masvidal and Edwards were booked for UFC 269, but the fight fell through. Now there’s no more obvious fight to make than this one. Edwards is no longer a contender at 170, having lost three fights in a row. Masvidal isn’t coming back to contend, so this is a fun fight, with real heat behind it, that can be thrown on any main card. — Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —