UFC champion Leon Edwards has insisted a fight against Conor McGregor would be "easy" to make because the pair share the same management team.
Edwards, 31, is hoping to defend his welterweight title in the first quarter of next year after winning the belt with a last-gasp knockout against Kamaru Usman in August. 'Rocky' became the first Jamaican-born and second British champion in UFC history by knocking out Usman, who was undefeated in 20 fights heading into his sixth title defence. The win meant Edwards avenged his 2015 loss to Usman as it sets up a likely trilogy fight between the pair.
Former two-weight champion McGregor recently outlined his plans to make a return at welterweight next year, but he will unlikely be fighting for a title in his return as Edwards has insisted the Irishman isn't on his radar. The Brit, who wants to defend his belt against Usman at Wembley Stadium in March, did admit that a potential fight against McGregor would be easy to make as the pair are both managed by Paradigm Sports.
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"That would make it easier to happen, everyone would know where to stand as far as negotiating contracts with the UFC," Edwards said. "What normally happens in fights that don't come together is that one management team doesn't agree with the other management team, so the fight doesn't happen. If we've got the same manager, that should mean it would be easier to happen."
McGregor hasn't fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier last July but the Irishman is hopeful of getting back in the cage in the opening months of 2023. By the time his octagon return comes around, three years would have passed since McGregor's last win. Edwards believes McGregor will return at 170-pounds after piling on a lot of muscle in his time away from the cage, insisting he isn't thinking about the McGregor fight because of the active contenders at welterweight who are "more challenging" than him.
"I think he [McGregor] probably will come back, he's got big now as well so I think he'll definitely come back at welterweight and like I said, we've got the same management team so it's a fight that would be easy to make if it was to happen. Do I think I'd win? 100 per cent. I think I'm the younger and more technical fighter but my focus isn't on Conor at all, because I've got killers around me who are active now that are more challenging that McGregor."
