Henry Cejudo believes that the champ Leon Edwards wouldn’t be able to handle Islam Makhachev in the UFC. Islam Makhachev shares the same sentiment as he responded to Edwards’ recent successful title defense against Colby Covington at UFC 296, expressing his belief that a new champion is needed in the welterweight division criticizing the fight between Covington and Edwards.
Henry Cejudo is a renowned American professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. He has held the UFC Flyweight Championship and Bantamweight Championship in the past. Notably, he is only the fourth UFC fighter to have held two different weight class titles simultaneously, and the second to have defended titles in two different weight divisions.
Islam Makhachev is currently the UFC lightweight champion, and even though he has only defended his title twice, he’s already advocating for a chance to compete in the 170-pound championship.
Henry Cejudo on the Super Fight
Henry Cejudo, who has the same manager as Islam Makhachev, thinks the 155-pound champion can successfully move up to the 170-pound weight class. In a recent YouTube video, Henry Cejudo shared his reaction to the Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington fight. Cejudo believes Edwards’ performance indicates that Islam Makhachev would outshine Rocky.
Cejudo expressed his opinion that Covington relied too much on his wrestling skills towards the end of the fight against Edwards. Cejudo also thinks that welterweights may underestimate Makhachev due to his smaller size, but this would be a mistake. According to Cejudo, Makhachev has both the confidence and the skills to perform well at 170 pounds.
Javier Mendez, a Mexican-American coach, founded American Kickboxing Academy. He is a former ISKA kickboxing World Champion and has trained multiple MMA world champions. Mendez, who is also Makhachev’s coach, recently stated that he would like to see Makhachev move up to welterweight to face Edwards. He believes it’s a fight that many fans would be interested in.
Dana White on the Situation
Before the UFC 296 fight between Covington vs Edwards, when asked about his plans to be a backup fighter if Colby Covington backs out, Islam Makhachev stated that it’s not up to him and it’s up to Dana White.
During a press conference, when asked if the UFC boss had any conversations with Islam Makhachev regarding a matchup with Edwards, Dana told the press that he did meet Islam and had lunch with him. However, there was no conversation about the fight. He also stated that he doesn’t have any plans for the champ to face Edwards and would like him to stay in his current weight division.
As the speculation around a potential super fight between Islam Makhachev and Leon Edwards continues, the MMA community eagerly awaits developments that could redefine the landscape of the division.
