Paul Felder is not a fan of fighters chasing dual-champion status so early in their title reigns.
Felder specifically has an issue with UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) expressing interest in moving up to challenge welterweight champion Leon Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC). Edwards also mentioned moving up to middleweight to capture a second belt, but Felder would like to see both of them rule their divisions first.
“We established that this (Muhammad) is the No. 1 contender, you’re (Edwards) also saying that you want to break Georges St-Pierre’s record, but then we got Islam Makhachev out there saying he should be next for the welterweight belt,” Felder said on his “Round-Up” show with Michael Chiesa. “Guys, stay in your freaking divisions, reign over your division. Can we get dominant champions before you all start wanting to fight for other belts?
“It didn’t used to be like this. The guys that did this in the beginning – obviously Conor is an exception. He did it; it was craziness. He was a superstar. (Daniel Cormier) did it because he earned it and was a 205’er. Amanda Nunes earned it. Now it’s just like everyone and their mother wants to be able to be a double champ. And it’s like, ‘Well, how about you get a whole lot of title defenses first, then you go and step up?'”
Edwards and Makhachev are both fresh off title defenses. Edwards retained his title in a lackluster unanimous decision win over Colby Covington at UFC 296, whereas Makhachev knocked out featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in Round 1 at UFC 294.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
