After pulling out of his UFC 218 fight against champ Max Holloway, UFC featherweight contender Frankie Edgar expects to get back to full-contact training in six weeks.
Frankie Edgar’s fight-cancelling injury is only a “minor setback,” he said.
The UFC featherweight contender released a statement on Instagram less than two hours after his withdrawal from an upcoming title fight against Max Holloway at UFC 218.
Edgar on Wednesday pulled out of the Detroit card set to take place on Dec. 2. He was set to headline the first of two pay-per-view cards in December. Combate first reported that “The Answer” suffered a facial injury that will require surgery in training. Several other outlets confirmed the report. The UFC has not yet commented on the news.
Edgar said in the statement he will be back to full-contract training in six weeks. He also added a message to Holloway, saying “I’ll see you down the road.”
Per MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, Holloway will likely remain on the UFC 218 fight card, but it is not yet clear who will take Edgar’s place and challenge “Blessed” for the 145-pound title. Longtime contender — and former Holloway opponent — Cub Swanson quickly offered his services when he heard Edgar was out.
Holloway (18-3) won the title with a second-round stoppage over Jose Aldo in the UFC 212 main event in Brazil this past summer. The Hawaiian is on an 11-fight winning streak.
Edgar (22-5-1) is on a two-fight winning streak. In his last outing, he bested rising star Yair Rodriguez by TKO on the UFC 211 main card. Prior to that, he defeated Jeremy Stephens by decision at the UFC’s debut card in New York City and Madison Square Garden. The win rebounded him from a decision defeat to Jose Aldo in an interim featherweight title fight at UFC 200 in July 2016. Edgar is 4-1 since early 2015.