(One of these men is a bantamweight, the other is a lightweight. They will fight at featherweight Feb. 2nd)
We were already plenty excited for former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar‘s challenge of featherweight king Jose Aldo — which will finally take place February 2nd at UFC 156 — but it turns out the stakes are larger than we thought. Aldo says that if he beats Edgar he will know he’s ready to move up to 155 pounds and challenge for that belt.
Edgar is trying to see if his speed will translate at featherweight and bring him more gold. Aldo is similarly using the fight as a litmus test for his readiness to take on the lightweights of the world. MMA Fighting’s Dave Doyle has the report.
“I’ve considered going to lightweight,” said Aldo. “As soon as my trainer decides that I can go up, then I will. This fight with Edgar will be a turning point. If I can win [against] him well, then I can prove that I can go [to 155 pounds].”
Aldo, who is one of only four Zuffa champions to have held a world title for three consecutive years (Tito Ortiz, Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva being the other three), has said for some time that it is difficult for him to make the 145-pound featherweight limit. He’s already cleaned out his division and says that Edgar might just be his final challenge at that weight class.
“He has a very strong reputation thanks to destroying several opponents,” Aldo credited Edgar. “That’s the motivation for me to face him and that will be probably my last biggest challenge [at 145 pounds].”
Check out the rest of Doyle’s story to read Aldo’s description of the motorcycle accident that put him out of action for the past few months and more.
Do you think Aldo can take out Edgar, who lost his title in a close bout to Benson Henderson, followed by an equally close rematch loss? If so, do you think Aldo would have a good shot at taking out the Hendersons of the lightweight division?