The principals in the upcoming WWE/UFC merger keep saying that the MMA and pro wrestling sides of their business under Endeavor will stay separate, yet UFC champions keep expressing their interest in seeing how they’d fare in the squared circle.
UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards certainly seems game. The 31-year-old, who was born in Jamaica but grew up in the UK, was in attendance at the WWE premium live event in Wales last fall and told the BBC he’d be up for giving pro wrestling a shot.
“Get me on the top rope, I’ll give it a go for sure,” Edwards said to BBC Newsbeat. “I actually went to the event last year in Cardiff, Clash at the Castle. I took my son, it’s quite similar and the fans are really similar.”
Edwards even got to talk to some of the talent competing that night, as WWE showed him on the pre-show chatting with Liv Morgan.
The amount of crossover fans between UFC and WWE is up for some debate, as the two organizations have put on cards on the same night — and even in the same city, as when Money in the Bank and UFC 276 were both held in Las Vegas last July 2 — without much discernible impact on the audience for either.
However, if Edwards is talking about the passion of both fan bases, it’s hard to argue against the idea that they’re both right up there. And fighters are often fans themselves; Edwards’ admission comes on the heels of fellow UFC titleholder Israel Adesanya’s manager stating that WWE is on Izzy’s “bucket list” for his post-Octagon days.
Of course, if Edwards is waiting for his MMA career to finish up, it might be a little bit. With 11 wins and one no contest in his last 12 fights and the welterweight belt around his waist, he’s probably not hanging up his gloves any time soon. But if WWE and UFC change their mind about some crossover work, add his name to the list of people who might be interested.