The decision made by Islam Makhachev to call out Leon Edwards has caused Josh Thomson, who was a former teammate of the lightweight champion, to express his worries.
Thomson spent a significant amount of his career training at American Kickboxing Academy, which is the same gym that Makhachev has designated his primary training facility for almost a decade.
Following the conclusion of UFC 296, in which Edwards won the main event by way of decision over Colby Covington, the Dagestani took to X to declare that he would have been able to finish both welterweights if he had met them.
At the moment, Islam Makhachev is regarded as one of the most powerful lightweights on the roster; therefore, a transfer to the welterweight division would not be an unusual decision on his part. Thomson, on the other hand, is of the opinion that Leon Edwards’ skill set would present Makhachev with a great deal of difficulty to overcome.
In a recent episode of the podcast titled “Weighing In,” Thomson provided a breakdown of the probable fight by stating the following details:
I have to tell you the truth, though. This is a conflict with Islam that gives me a little bit of a fright. It was Leon Edwards’ speed, his ability to get takedowns, and his ability to put Islam on his own back that made him so successful. I am aware that Islam takes great care in his takedown defense and all of those other things, but Leon has demonstrated in the past that he is capable of taking down top-level wrestlers.
He went on to say:
The Dagestani wrestling style is simply distinct from other styles of wrestling, as I have stated in the past. You aim to take him down by getting into the clinch and attempting to body lock [Islam Makhachev]. He will look to let you fall, he will look to the feet to sweep you, and he will look to lateral dump you… But when it comes to his feet, Leon is incredible: his speed, his precision, and the way he combines his kicks… It is a difficult battle.”
Islam Makhachev calls for the UFC to give him a fight in March
As a result of the fact that he will be unable to compete during the month of Ramadan, Islam Makhachev has now requested that a bout take place before the month of Ramadan, which begins in March.
In the most recent bout, Makhachev successfully defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 294. He astonished the mixed martial arts community by stopping ‘The Great’ with a head kick that landed with a forceful impact.
During the month of November, the lightweight champion expressed his desire to compete three times in the year 2024.
A recent post that he made on X, in which he once again called for a fight to take place in March of the next year, reads as follows:
“I’ll be ready to smash someone in March, or see you after Ramadan.”
See the post that is below:
Enlarge the Tweet
It appears that Justin Gaethje will be Islam Makhachev’s next opponent; however, given that the first three pay-per-view events of 2024, namely UFC 297, UFC 298 and UFC 299, all already have headlining fights scheduled, it is highly improbable that the two will face each other in March.
