Leon Edwards' name thrown in the hat for Conor McGregor's return, Islam Makhachev matchup dissected by coach
This weekend, Leon Edwards will defend his welterweight title for the third time against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304. However, his head coach, Dave Lovell, is already looking ahead to a potential blockbuster fight.
Edwards' last title defense was a dominant win against Colby Covington in December. Muhammad, meanwhile, has earned a shot at the belt with a string of impressive victories. While their first encounter ended in a No Contest due to an accidental eye poke, Lovell is confident Edwards will emerge victorious this time around.
Speaking to Submission Radio, the coach said:
“Personally, I think Leon can stop him. If [Belal] gets careless it could be early, but Leon likes to have a look and a feel, if Belal doesn’t walk onto anything, Leon can get him out there in either round 3 or 4, or win a unanimous decision”
A win for Edwards will likely set up a fight with another top UFC contender. However, Lovell has a specific name in mind, one that could generate a significant payday:
“We’ve got a few options but if we’re talking about a fight financially that can obviously pay more than the average then it’d be the fight with Conor [McGregor]. Conor’s obviously mentioned that he would move up to welterweight and fight Leon if he was to beat Chandler” [H/t:Bloody Elbow]
Islam Makhachev matchup dissected by Leon Edwards' coach
While discussing Leon Edwards' potential fight against Conor McGregor, his coach, Dave Lovell, also addressed the possibility of a future clash with Islam Makhachev.
Makhachev, the current lightweight champion, has expressed interest in moving up to welterweight to challenge for a second title. He is expected to face Arman Tsarukyan before considering a move up in weight.
However, Lovell downplayed Makhachev's potential success at welterweight. He revealed that Edwards and Makhachev trained together at American Top Team early in their careers, even grappling with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Lovell believes this experience gives Edwards a significant advantage.
“Leon’s had a feel of him already because back in the day they were at American Top Team [together] hwhen they first started out their careers and they did have a little wrestle along with Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and the rest of the boys."
He added:
“Islam moving up to [welterweight], would he be big enough, will he have the same effect he has at his weight now, I don’t think so, has he met a sharpshooter like Leon, no he hasn’t” [H/t: Bloody Elbow]
Check out coach Dave Lovell's comments in the interview below: