Leon Edwards has not fought in the Octagon since a submission loss to Sean Brady.
The former UFC welterweight champion is a UK MMA staple and became the second man from Britain to hold the title belt, with Tom Aspinall the third.
But during his time away from the octagon, he has made very few media appearances.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
‘Rocky’ does hope to be fighting by the end of the year, with a December date the most likely for a return to the company.
‘Great’ Leon Edwards fight in the UK would inspire people, says middleweight fighter
No opponent has been rumoured, but one man who would love the opportunity to face the 33-year-old is Michael ‘Venom’ Page, who is fighting at middleweight on the Dricus Du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev undercard.
The Londoner has had a successful start to life at middleweight with a win over Sharabutdin ‘Bullet’ Magomedov, although he hasn’t ruled out a fight against Leon.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, he was questioned on whether he’d been offered a fight with the star.
He said: “Not at all. I just think it’s a great fight for the UK. That’s the only reason I’m kind of like let’s (do it) both of us, we come from very similar backgrounds, and we can inspire other people that have come from our backgrounds to see us main event in the UFC.
“I think the guy’s amazing. I think he’s had a bit of a hard run, but he’s super talented and can definitely come back.”
Page has not had the chance to have a UFC fight in Britain, but during his Bellator run, he was able to fight five times in London.
While not on the table yet, MVP did outline when the potential fight would take place.
“I didn’t see that happening until maybe next year when the UFC comes back to the UK,” he said.
No reasoning behind Michael ‘Venom’ Page fight, says UFC 319 opponent
His next fight in the company at UFC 319 is against Jared Cannonier, who is currently ranked eighth at middleweight.
However, it is safe to say Cannonier was not happy with ‘Venom’ being the choice of opponent.
In an interview with Submission Radio, he said: “I can’t really make any reasoning behind the matchmaking. The issues that I had with the fight is that (Page) is really not a middleweight.
“Me, I’m focused on getting back to the title. I understand it’s a big fight, it’s on a big card, so there is some weight there… The fight is happening, so get ready.”
‘The Killa Gorilla’ has won three of his last five fights, with the two losses coming to the main event fighters of UFC Paris Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho.
A win against the striking stylist could prove to be a good step towards the top five of the division if the American can dispatch him in eye-catching fashion.