A featherweight showdown with title implications is coming to Austin.
Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will meet Cub Swanson in the five-round main event of the UFC Fight Night card in Texas on Nov. 22. The news was announced on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight.
The 32-year-old Edgar (17-4-1) came within a round on the scorecards of lifting the title from longtime champion Jose Aldo Jr. in his featherweight debut at UFC 156. Since then, he’s earned victories over Charles Oliveira and B.J. Penn.
Swanson (21-5), meanwhile, has won six fights in a row, and has earned four post-fight bonuses during that stretch.
The Palm Springs native was expected to get the next shot at the 145-pound belt after he defeated Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision in June. But with the Aldo-Chad Mendes rematch pushed back from August to October, Swanson elected to stay active rather than wait and see what happens.
“If the winner gets hurt or if there is an immediate rematch then I spend another year of my prime on the bench,” Swanson, whose win over Stephens was his only fight since June of last year, told MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani.
While the bout has not officially been proclaimed as a No. 1 contender’s fight, Edgar won’t look at it any other way.
“I’m excited to fight Cub in a number one contender’s fight and being one fight away from the Title,” Edgar said. “No. 1 (Mendes) is fighting for the title next, I’m No. 3, Cub is No. 2.”