Former two-time UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes Islam Makhachev has all the skills to take down Leon Edwards.
Last Saturday, during the main event of UFC 296, welterweight champion Leon Edwards made a second title defense. He faced number 3 Colby Covington over 5 rounds, and beat him by unanimous decision (see fight summary). Before that, the Briton beat former champion Kamaru Usman, once by knockout, the other by unanimous decision (see the fight summary).
From now on, discussions are going well: who to challenge Leon Edwards? Number 2, Belal Muhammad, appears to be at the top of the list. The two men previously faced each other in 2021, but the fight ended in a no-contest due to an eye poke. Some observers believe number 3 Shavkat Rakhmonov will be next. However, one man not in the division is also in the discussions: lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. On several occasions, the Dagestani has expressed his wish to face Leon Edwards for a second belt. This weekend, ahead of the fight between ‘Rocky’ and Colby Covington, Islam Makhachev posted a comment on X.
I will finish both this guy
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) December 17, 2023
“I would finish both of these guys,” Makhachev wrote on X.
“Listen, they’re not gonna fight one another, simple as that. The lightweight division is the most stacked, okay? And Leon Edwards has other people to defend against as well,” said Michael Bisping.
Check out his comments from the 7:48 mark below:
Leon Edwards vs. Islam Makhachev
On multiple occasions in the past, Islam Makhachev has called for a fight against Leon Edwards.
UFC Abu Dhabi, October 21st
Makhachev vs Edwards
What do you think? @ufc @espnmma— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) July 18, 2023
“Leon [Edwards] has to be next, and also, this fight [Edwards vs. Colby Covington] was bullsh*t, man. We have to change the champion,” said Islam Makhachev.
🗣️ Islam Makhachev: “Leon [Edwards] has to be next, this fight [Edwards vs. Covington] was bullsh*t, you have to change the champion.”#UFC296 #UFC #MMA
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) December 17, 2023
If a super fight between Leon Edwards and Islam Makhachev materializes, a former two-time UFC champion is not giving much away as ‘Rocky’.
On his YouTube channel, former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo explained that he would like to see Makhachev face Edwards.
“Islam Makhachev is a different wrestler. He is very disciplined. His actions speak louder than his words. Colby Covington started pulling out the fight too late. But the fact is that the attempts he had when he went into battle and tried to knock him out, he easily succeeded. This is where I think a guy like Islam is going to expose it. Edwards fights everyone the same. We’ve seen it with guys like Israel Adesanya… guys who are pretty one-dimensional. »
He continued: “The guys who are the hardest to fight are the ones who have weapons other than punches… I’m going to have to give the edge to the one and only, the Dagestani nightmare, Islam Makhachev. I feel like he’s too strong, he’ll feel too good, and stylistically what I thought Colby was going to do, this guy can do better. »
After winning the lightweight belt by submitting Charles Oliveira, Islam Makhachev defended his title twice against Alexander Volkanovski. The first time he beat him by unanimous decision, the second time he knocked him out with a high kick. Now he is seeking double-champion status.
