Islam Makhachev has detailed how he sparred with Leon Edwards in a secret session during their early careers in the UFC.
The lightweight champion is currently preparing to face Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, while his welterweight counterpart will take on Belal Muhammad at UFC 304. But there is a clamour to see the pair fight in a battle of the champions.
Such a meeting has already occurred on the mats at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose years ago when Edwards was visiting the United States to work on his wrestling. And with the pair now ruling the roost in MMA’s top promotion, they could do it again under the lights.
Islam Makhachev opens up about secret sparring with Leon Edwards
Makhachev will have to first take out the top contenders at 155lb before moving up to 170lb, but he will be confident of his chances having previously taken on Edwards in the gym. Rumour has it that Makhachev managed to get a submission, although that has been denied by the Brit.
Speaking on Weighing In with Josh Thomson and Big John McCarthy, Makhachev told the story of their sparring. He even noted that Thomson was there when it happened, with the former fighter recalling that they had trained together.
“I need my chance,” Makhachev explained. “I know it’s going to be a very good fight with Leon Edwards because I know this guy.
“I know his skills, I already sparred with him in AKA many years ago but he’s improved. That time he came to AKA to improve his wrestling… Now he has everything, wrestling, very good striking, clinch, everything.”
Leon Edwards denies being submitted by Islam Makhachev in sparring
As is customary in combat sports, the full story of the infamous meeting has never been, and likely never will be, told. Both men have mentioned that it happened, but aside from a claim that Makhachev got a submission at some point, little is known of what happened.
At a fan panel ahead of his trilogy fight at UFC 286 against Kamaru Usman last year, Edwards said: “I don’t think Islam submitted me in training but we sparred, though.
“I think it would be a good fight because he’s improved his striking and I’ve improved my wrestling so it would be a totally different kind of fight. When we first trained I was 21 or 22, I’m now 31-years-old. It’s like two different fights now.”
Javier Mendez gives his take on infamous sparring between Islam Makhachev and Leon Edwards
One impartial figure in the middle who watched the pair go at it in the gym is AKA head trainer Javier Mendez. The renowned coach hasn’t given an indication of who got the better of the action, but believes that it would be a fair and reasonable matchup to make.
“That was Islam’s first sparring with Leon when Leon came to us back in 2015,” Mendez told Submission Radio. “That was the very first person Islam grabbed to spar.
“And Islam asked me, ‘Coach, who is this guy?’ I go, ‘He’s a striker.’ He goes, ‘Oh, okay.’ So that’s all it was. I didn’t tell Islam anything, I didn’t tell Leon anything, they just sparred.
“They went at it pretty good – and that’s kind of where you know they could fight with each other, because they’ve sparred one time. And so they more or less know what they can do with each other. They know that the power is there for both sides.
“He knows what he’s talking about when he wanted to fight at that division, because he’s tested himself with bigger guys. So Islam knows. That’s just a good match for him, and Leon is becoming a great champion.”
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