Frankie Edgar celebrates after KOing Gray Maynard at UFC 136 – Photo via UFC.com
The first modern ‘Super Fight’ of recent memory has been booked as an undisclosed injury to No. 1 featherweight contender Erik Koch has forced ‘New Breed’ out of his upcoming title match versus division champion Jose ‘Junior’ Aldo (21-1).
Stepping in, and earning a title for his first fight at 145-lbs, will be former UFC lightweight champ Frankie ‘The Answer’ Edgar (14-3-1).
The match was made official early this morning with this announcement at UFC.com.
Frankie Edgar’s decision to drop to featherweight has not gone unrewarded, as Edgar will get a long-rumored title shot in his first outing at 145 pounds.
That title shot will come sooner than expected, as Edgar is stepping in to face champion Jose Aldo at UFC 153 in October. Aldo was scheduled to meet KO artist Erik Koch, who has been forced to withdraw from the event due to injury.
“I’m pumped,” UFC president Dana White told USA Today. “I think that people are going to be very excited for this fight.” (Click for full interview)
“This main event is now not only a world title fight but also a super-fight that has long been a dream match for many fans,” said White. “Aldo and Edgar are two fantastic fighters who are always a part of the pound-for-pound debate.”
The two champions, yes I consider Edgar the winner of Henderson vs. Edgar II the victor, will headline UFC 153: Aldo vs. Edgar which is expected to occur on October 13, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Aldo will defend his unified WEC/UFC featherweight title for a seventh straight time when he meets Edgar, and is running a fourteen fight win streak. He last saw action in January in Rio at UFC 142, finishing Joseph Benavidez via knockout with one second left on the clock in the first round. Aldo defended the UFC title for the first time in April 2011 by beating Canadian Mark Hominick via decision at the promotions first stadium event.
Edgar drops to 145-lbs for the first time in his career and enters the match on back-to-back lightweight title losses against reigning champ Benson Henderson. ‘The Answer’ lost a controversial split decision to Henderson earlier this month at UFC 150, with several fans and media picking the former title holder as the victor. Edgar’s last win was in October of last year, when he faced Gray Maynard in back-to-back title defenses, finishing ‘The Bully’ via fourth round knockout.