UFC featherweight contender Conor McGregor believes he should get the title shot at 145 pounds based on his ability to sell tickets, and he didn’t mind sharing that sentiment with fellow contender Frankie Edgar.
Edgar, a former UFC lightweight champion who lost to featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo at UFC 156 in February 2013, has many pundits calling for a rematch after he decimated Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57 last Saturday.
Swanson was riding a six-fight win streak heading into that matchup, and The Answer has now won three bouts in a row, but none of that seems to mean much to The Notorious based on what he tweeted Edgar on Sunday.
@FrankieEdgar McGregor Vs Brandao $1.4million. McGregor Vs Poirier $2.2 million. Edgar Vs Cub $640k. #TheREALnumbersDontLie. Conor bless.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 30, 2014
While the numbers McGregor threw out there are not verified, there is no doubt the Irish striker has quite a fanbase and knows how to hype a fight.
As a matter of fact, UFC President Dana White recently said that McGregor was a bigger star than both incredibly popular former champs Georges St-Pierre and Brock Lesnar, per MMA Junkie.
Currently the No. 5 featherweight in the UFC’s official rankings, McGregor has won 12 fights in a row—including four inside the Octagon—and is set to meet Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night 59 in January.
Although many feel it’s a forgone conclusion he will get a crack at Aldo with a decisive victory over Siver, Edgar’s resume is certainly a tough one to overlook.
The No. 2 featherweight in the world, the New Jersey native is 3-1 at 145 pounds, and his past two finishes over Penn and Swanson were bloody, brutally one-sided affairs.
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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