UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has responded to Islam Makhachev’s callout.
The UFC 268 main event ended in a surprising way. Edwards, who previously pulled an upset by knocking out the former number 1 pound-for-pound, entered the octagon as the underdog.
Fans were sure that Usman would retain his belt after seeing how he had dominated Edwards prior to the knockout in the final round.
However, Edwards proved that he was the better athlete.
The 31-year-old had improved a lot and his performance was pretty impressive. He managed to neutralize the welterweight champion’s takedown attempts and landed some heavy leg kicks throughout the five-round affair and won via a majority decision.
Not long after the announcement of his victory, many athletes were already in line for the title shot, not just welterweight contenders, but also lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. The Dagestani immediately took to his Twitter account to call out Edwards and set his preferred time and place.
“I want Leon next, in October in Abu Dhabi,” Makhachev wrote.
Makhachev’s callout surely gained a lot of attention as this means that he is ready to move up to the 170-pound division. Edwards himself is not a picky guy, and he is willing to accept anyone who is deserving of a title shot.
“As I said, all comers are welcome. Pay me right, and I will show up. That’s my mentality, you know. If you pay me right, I will show up and anyone can get the title shot,” Edwards said.
Unfortunately, Makhachev might have to wait a bit longer. UFC president Dana White has already confirmed the next contender for the title shot.
After UFC 286, the 53-year-old confirmed that the number 1 welterweight contender, Colby Covington, is next to challenge Leon Edwards.
Islam Makhachev and Leon Edwards have some fun history between them. When Makhachev first visited American kick boxing academy, Edwards was there and doing his camps there. He was the very first person Makhachev ever sparred in the cage because there was no cage in Dagestan – only mats.