"This is a fight that scares me" - Islam Makhachev's former teammate shares concerns about him facing Leon Edwards for the welterweight title
Islam Makhachev's callout of Leon Edwards has raised concerns from a former teammate of the lightweight king, Josh Thomson.
Thomson trained at American Kickboxing Academy for large portions of his career, the same gym that Makhachev has called home for almost a decade.
Following UFC 296, where Edwards defeated Colby Covington via decision in the main event, the Dagestani took to X to declare that he would have finished both welterweights if he faced them.
Islam Makhachev is considered one of the biggest lightweights on the roster, and a move to welterweight would not be an unexpected decision from him. But Thomson believes that Leon Edwards' skillset would present many challenges for Makhachev to overcome.
During a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, Thomson broke down the potential fight, saying this:
"I gotta be honest though. This is a fight that scares me a little with Islam. The speed of Leon Edwards, the ability to get takedowns and put Islam on his back, himself. I know Islam prides himself on takedown defense and all those things, but Leon has proven he can take top-level wrestlers down before."
He continued:
"I have said before that the Dagestani style of wrestling is just different. You get into that clinch and try and body lock [Islam Makhachev], try and take him down. He will look to feet sweep you, he'll look to let you fall, lateral drop you... But on the feet, Leon - the speed, the accuracy, the way he mixes up the kicks... It's a tough fight"
Watch the video below (1:36:25):
Islam Makhachev calls for the UFC to give him a fight in March
Islam Makhachev has now called for a fight before Ramadan, which begins in March, as he'll be unable to compete during the month of fasting.
Makhachev recently defended his belt against Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 294, where he stunned the MMA world by finishing 'The Great' after landing a thudding head kick.
In November, the lightweight king stated that he wanted to fight three times in 2024.
He recently took to X to once again call for a fight in March next year, and wrote the following:
"I’ll be ready to smash someone in March, or see you after Ramadan."
See the post below:
Justin Gaethje is looking like Islam Makhachev's next opponent, but with the first three pay-per-view events of 2024, namely UFC 297, UFC 298 and UFC 299, all having headlining fights already, it's unlikely that the pair will clash in March.