Islam Makhachev was not impressed by Leon Edwards’ win over Colby Covington.
Welterweight champion Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) retained his title when he defeated Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) by unanimous decision in this past Saturday’s UFC 296 headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Lightweight champion Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC), who voiced his desire to chase dual-champion status in the past, didn’t like what he saw out of Edwards when he watched the fight in person.
“Leon has to be next, and also, this fight was bullsh*t, man,” Makhachev said. “We have to change the champion.”
Colby should learn trash talking from islam, no crossing lines just speaking about the skills pic.twitter.com/mL56R1c9a2
— Abady Makhachev (@AbadyMMA) December 17, 2023
Makhachev is coming off a first-round head kick knockout of featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294. He’s confident he’d put both Edwards and Covington away if they fought.
“I will finish both this guy.”
I will finish both this guy
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) December 17, 2023
UFC CEO Dana White revealed that he had a meeting with Makhachev in Las Vegas, but they didn’t discuss what’s next. But if it were up to White, he’d like to see Makhachev remain at lightweight.
“I had lunch with him a couple of days ago and we didn’t really talk about fights,” White said during the UFC 296 post-fight press conference. “We talked about family and all kinds of other stuff. So, I don’t know. I’d like to see him stay at ’55.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
Islam Makhachev reacts to Leon Edwards’ win over Colby Covington: ‘We have to change the champion’
