How could Edwards deny Makhachev when he wants to move up a division and shoot for double champ status himself?
After beating Kamaru Usman twice to take and retain the welterweight title, Leon Edwards is now focused on establishing himself as the best fighter in the world. And what better way than to knock off the current No. 1 ranked pound for pound fighter, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
“For sure, for sure,” he said when asked about a champ vs. champ fight. “Obviously we have got work to do within the division. I feel like Islam just fought his first actual lightweight. He fought Volk, but this is the first actual Lightweight he has fought within the division. He’s on a three defense streak. After I beat Belal, that’ll be my third as well. So both on similar paths, so I can see it happen in the future.”
“Also, I’d like to move up as well and try to challenge for the middleweight belt, hopefully. So, whichever comes first.”
Champ champ aspirations are nothing new in the UFC. Since the UFC allowed a select few fighters — Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo and Amanda Nunes — to collect simultaneous belts in two divisions, every champion has chased that goal.
But will the UFC allow it in the case of Leon and Islam, who have busy divisions full of challengers? These days the promotion needs belts atop pay-per-views, not double-champs slowing down multiple weight classes. It may be a while before either man gets their opportunity to make history a division up.
For his part, Edwards is realistic about the timeline.
“Defend my belt twice this year, that will be four defenses,” he told Sky Sports earlier this year. “Maybe one more [defense] next year, that’s five defenses. Then later on in the year, have a big middleweight fight. That’s six title fights. That is my goal. Two [defenses] this year, one next year, then end of next year move up.”
The first stop on that run is Manchester, England on July 27th where he’ll fight Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 304.