"They know what they can do" - Islam Makhachev's coach says Leon Edwards is a good matchup for him, recalls sparring session in 2015

Islam Makhachev took to Twitter several weeks ago to call out welterweight champion Leon Edwards. The callout appeared to come from nowhere and seemed to indicate Makhachev's frustration with not having found an opponent for UFC 294.

Makhachev's longtime coach, Javier Mendez, has now revealed that the lightweight champion sparred with Leon Edwards at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in 2015. Mendez, who was present for the sparring session, stated that Islam Makhachev would match up well against 'Rocky'.

According to Mendez, the Dagestani has ambitions on double-champion status, and the coach recently opened up about Edwards' time at AKA. He told Submission Radio:

"Leon came to us in 2015, that was the very first person Islam got to spar... I didn't tell Islam anything, I didn't tell Leon anything. They just sparred. That's kind of where you know they could fight with each other. Because they sparred one time, so they know what they can do with each other. They know the power is there from both sides."

Mendez continued:

"[Islam] has tested himself against bigger guys, so Islam knows. That's just a good match for him, and Leon is becoming a great champion."

Watch the video below from 14:20:

Islam Makhachev is now scheduled to take on Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 294 in October. Given Oliveira's prior statement that he would only be ready to fight in November or December, a former teammate of Makhachev has pondered if the UFC forced 'do Bronx' to accept the fight.

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Islam Makhachev's coach believes Charles Oliveira won't be as eager to grapple in the rematch

Islam Makhachev's second-round submission win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 sent a statement to the lightweight division that a new era of Dagestani dominance had arrived.

Oliveira had previously defeated Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje in the space of 18 months, and the Brazilian looked almost impossible to overcome. But Makhachev's dominance over 'do Bronx' showcased the talent that he possessed.

In the aforementioned interview with Submission Radio, Javier Mendez previewed their rematch at UFC 294 in October. Mendez stated Oliveira won't be as eager to grapple with the lightweight champion based on the result of their previous bout.

He said:

"Last time Charles was talking about, 'I don't care if he takes me to the ground. Let him.' He didn't care about being taken to the ground, it was not a big concern whatsoever. For this fight, I don't think [Charles] is going to be thinking that. He's not gonna be thinking, '[Let's] go to the ground, I don't care.' I think he will be thinking of not going to the ground if he can avoid it." [21:25]