"They are not going to fight" - Ex-UFC champion explains why Islam Makhachev might never face Leon Edwards

Former UFC champion Michael Bisping has weighed in on the possibility of Islam Makhachev vs. Leon Edwards becoming a reality.

'The Count' uploaded a video to his YouTube channel where he shared his thoughts on the potential super fight. According to Bisping, the matchup will not become a reality anytime soon.

The 44-year-old backed his statement by saying that both fighters have multiple contenders in their respective divisions and that they need to defend their titles against them first, before eyeing a shot at the aforementioned super fight.

"Listen, they're not gonna fight one another, simple as that. The lightweight division is the most stacked, okay? And Leon Edwards has other people to defend against as well," said Michael Bisping.

Check out his comments from the 7:48 mark below:

On multiple occasions in the past, Islam Makhachev has called for a fight against Leon Edwards.

The Dagestani was also in attendance for the UFC 296 where 'Rocky' locked horns against Colby Covington in the main event for the welterweight title. Edwards outclassed his opponent for the majority of the fight and eventually got his hand raised via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the contest 49-46 in favor of the Birmingham fighter.

After the event, an X (formerly Twitter) account named @mma_orbit uploaded a post where Makhachev can be seen criticizing the welterweight title bout and challenging Edwards for a fight.

“Leon [Edwards] has to be next, and also, this fight [Edwards vs. Colby Covington] was bullsh*t, man. We have to change the champion," said Islam Makhachev.

---

Javier Mendez speaks on the sparring session between Islam Makhachev and Leon Edwards

Earlier in August this year, Islam Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez appeared on the Submission Radio podcast. During his appearance on the podcast, the AKA coach shed light on a sparring session between the Dagestani and Leon Edwards.

Mendez shared that the sparring session took place way back in 2015. But it was enough to make him believe that a fight between the two current UFC champions could prove to be a good matchup.

"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... [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: