Former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar wants to take the featherweight belt from McGregor at UFC 200 and then reclaim the 155 lbs. against him in a rematch.
Time is running out for Frankie Edgar. At 34-years-old and with over a decade of experience under his belt, the Toms River product has been forced to wait again for another shot at the featherweight title.
Edgar, who campaigned hard for a fight with Conor McGregor at UFC 189, was forced to sit on the sidelines as the Irishman TKO’d Chad Mendes to seize the interim 145 lbs. championship. “The Answer” would go on to KO Mendes the night before McGregor made quick work of Jose Aldo at UFC 194 to unify the featherweight titles. With his win over “Money” overshadowed by McGregor’s thirteen-second demolition of Aldo, Edgar was left pushed aside again as the Dubliner announced his move up to the lightweight division to challenge champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 197.
The former lightweight champion is hoping for McGregor to dethrone dos Anjos in March to increase the stakes for a possible gig at UFC 200 against “The Notorious” in July.
“I think that is the biggest fight, I think that’s the fight most people are interested in seeing and I’m hoping the UFC does the right thing and books me and Conor for UFC 200,” Edgar told FOX Sports.
“It gives a bigger aura to Conor and his image and what he’s done and it definitely makes it a bigger fight. But I’m buddies with Rafael and I’m not one to throw daggers at anybody and wish anyone bad. I think he’s a very tough fight for Conor, he has all the skills to beat him.”
Edgar’s ultimate goal is to strip McGregor of both the featherweight and lightweight titles in the near-future. The NCAA Division I wrestler wants to beat McGregor at UFC 200 and rematch him for the lightweight belt at UFC 204.
“I’d love to,” Edgar said. “We can do it back-to-back and that will be UFC 204 or whatever, that would be the next biggest fight. I’m game. If they let me get my hands on him once, I’ll definitely re-do it.”
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Conor McGregor will headline the UFC 197 PPV — co-headlined by Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate — at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 5th.