Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev snubbed as Leon Edwards names his top 5 current UFC champions
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has left Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev out of the list of his top-five favorite current UFC champions.
Jones is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, who's lately been on an injury hiatus. Meanwhile, Makhachev is the UFC lightweight champion. As of late, the Dagestani has expressed interest in moving up to welterweight and fighting Edwards for his title.
In a recent interview with Nik Hobbs of Sky Sports, Leon Edwards was asked to name his five favorites out of the 11 current UFC champions and ideally list them in order. While 'Rocky' later emphasized that the UFC champions are "all good," he consistently maintained that he'd be at the top of the list.
Edwards indicated that interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones could share the No.2 spot on the list. When asked to choose one of them, he picked fellow UK fighter Aspinall instead of Jones. He gave UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski the No.3 position:
"So, one, obviously I go me, first. Then I'll go, say it's Tom [Aspinall] and Jon Jones... Okay, I'll go Tom, home-town, home-team... Volk, for sure. Yeah, [Alexander] Volkanovski. Love his mentality!'"
Upon being asked to name his favorite Volkanovski fight, Edwards harked back to the featherweight kingpin's first bout against Islam Makhachev. It transpired in February 2023 and ended in a closely-contested unanimous decision defeat for Volkanovski at lightweight. Edwards lauded 'The Great' for his performance and grit in that matchup.
Furthermore, Edwards handed UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley and UFC women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili the No.4 and No.5 spots, respectively:
"Sean O'Malley. All strikers. It's all strikers, basically... Just like I said, his [O'Malley's] movement, his striking, his range, how he controls distance... I think that's one of the reasons."
He concluded:
"And let's throw Zhang Weili. Like, even all strikers, but I feel like she's a savage. And I enjoy watching her compete. Yeah, exciting to watch. She's aggressive. She hits hard. So, yeah, I feel that's my top-five I say."
Watch Leon Edwards' assessment below (0:18):
What's next for UK UFC champions Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall?
Two reigning UFC champions hail from the UK, namely Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall. 'Rocky' holds the undisputed UFC welterweight title and has one successful title defense on his record. Edwards is scheduled to defend his welterweight belt against Colby Covington in the headlining matchup of UFC 296 on December 16, 2023.
Tom Aspinall won the interim UFC heavyweight title in his latest fight in November 2023. Nevertheless, the UFC heavyweight title is still held by Jon Jones. UFC CEO Dana White recently implied that upon his return from injury, Jones would likely fight Stipe Miocic next. It's believed Aspinall will face the Jones-Miocic winner in a heavyweight title unification matchup.
Catch Dana White's comments below (1:05):