For the first time in more than three years and seven fights, Frankie Edgar will enter the UFC Octagon without a title belt on the line.
He will look to get back into the title race at UFC 162 when he faces Charles Oliveira in the co-main event that night. While Edgar has been fighting for UFC gold for years, Oliveira has never quite reached that same peak.
As dangerous of a fighter as he may be, Oliveira doesn’t carry the same kind of top 10 name value that Edgar could have potentially faced. The reality is Edgar has never been a fighter who handpicks his opponents.
“I never picked fights,” Edgar said in a recent interview with The Ultimate Show. “I’m never going to start to pick fights. If they ask me to fight someone, I’ll say yes.”
Edgar hopes that defeating Oliveira at UFC 162 in such a high-profile bout will insert his name into the title race again for a future shot at the featherweight strap. The New Jersey native knows that more goes into getting a crack at the belt than just winning, and he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to get the gold around his waist again.
“I think one or two (fights away from a title shot),” Edgar stated. “Let’s be real, it’s not always the No. 1 contenders who get the title shots. It’s who they invest money in, and whose kind of a known name. In the lighter weights just being that I fought seven title fights in a row, I think I’m that guy.”
In the interview, Edgar also addressed the reality of fighting for a win after three straight losses, as well as preparing for a three-round bout for the first time in more than three years.
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