Islam Makhachev and his American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez have mentioned a possible move for the lightweight champion to the welterweight division in the future. While he’s slated to fight Arman Tsarukyan next, a fight against Leon Edwards for the 170 lbs strap sounds like a big-time fight nonetheless. As such, ‘Rocky’s coach Dave Lovell offered his two cents on this situation from a rather analytical standpoint.

Fans and pundits alike claim that Islam Makhachev may very well be better than his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov. That notion stems from the fact that the 155lbs champion has showcased way more than ‘The Eagle’ ever did, becoming an all-round fighter. But is he good enough to beat Leon Edwards? Let’s hear what the welterweight champion’s coach had to say.

Dave Lovell doesn’t think Islam Makhachev can hold a candle to Leon Edwards

Ahead of Leon Edwards’s title defense against Belal Muhammad, his coach appeared in an interview, where he was made aware of Islam Makahchev’s intentions to fight for a second belt. As we’ve mentioned above, Islam Makhachev is also one of the big draws in the UFC, with a massive following in Russia and the Middle East. A flight against him is definitely going to be a big one for Edwards, especially if it goes down in Abu Dhabi. However, Dave Lovell doesn’t think the lightweight champion is skilled enough to overpower ‘Rocky’ if they ever clashed inside the cage, especially because weight plays a big role in performance.

“Islam moving up to welter[weight], would he be big enough? Would he have the same effect that he has at his weight now? I don’t think so. Has he met a sharpshooter like Leon? No, he hasn’t,” Dave Lovell told ‘Submission Radio’. Fans have witnessed how big Leon Edwards can really be, and a recent picture of his physique has proved exactly that. Lovell pointed the physical aspect out while also assuring the UFC fans that he’s even fought wrestlers like Makhachev, Kamaru Usman, and Colby Covington.

“Size-wise Leon’s physically bigger than him, outreaches him. So again, he’s gonna resort to what he knows, which is his wrestling. So it’s just unfortunate that you look at the last guys Leon fought – Usman twice, Colby, all wrestlers. Now, Belal, wrestler,” Leon Edwards’s coach added. “Islam, he’s not known for his striking. They’re known for their wrestling and that’s basically [it]. Leon’s improving [in wrestling and] people don’t understand.”

While Leon Edwards and his team haven’t stressed about fighting the reigning champion, they have tested fighting another former lightweight champion on more occasions than one. However, ahead of his UFC 304 fight, Dave Lovell doubled down on it.

Not Makhachev, Edwards is looking for ‘red panty night’

As UFC legend Chael Sonnen claims, ‘red panty night’ is real, and Michael Chandler, who’s been waiting for that fight to happen for over two years, is a prime example of that. So when Dave Lovell got asked about Leon Edwards fighting Conor McGregor, he mentioned that it’s not just a big-money fight, it will also be a great chance for ‘Rocky’ to add ‘The Notorious’ name to his list of defeated opponents.

“If we’re looking for a fight financially, that can obviously pay more than the average, would be obviously, the fight with Conor… It’d be a great name to have on his CV. And plus, it’s a mega-money fight,” Leon Edwards’s coach added. However, the uncertain nature of Conor McGregor’s return date, it’s hard to tell if he’ll ever fight the the welterweight champion while he tries to keep his title reign intact.

What do you think? Would you like to see Islam Makhachev try to become a double champion or Conor McGregor fight Leon Edwards to capture a third title? Let us know in the comments down below.