Frankie Edgar wasn’t afraid to let everyone know what he wants: the next UFC featherweight title shot.
“I want that title, man,” he told Jon Anik on Saturday. “I know Dana’s not here — again. I don’t know if he’s ducking me because he owes me a title shot.”
Edgar was, of course, talking about UFC president Dana White, who did not make the trip to Manila to watch the former lightweight champion beat Urijah Faber by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 66. “The Answer” wasn’t quite dominant, but he won every round on each of the judges’ scorecards in a complete victory.
In Edgar’s mind, he should have been the next in line for a title opportunity even before beating Faber.
“I am,” Edgar said when asked on FOX Sports 2 whether he believes he should be next. “I think I’ve been. I just beat one of the best guys that does our sport. I was able to beat him five rounds to nothing, close him out. I think I’m the next title contender.”
Jose Aldo will defend the featherweight belt against Conor McGregor at UFC 189 on July 11 in Las Vegas. Edgar will obviously be watching very closely. If Aldo wins, there’s a very strong chance he would be next up, even though he has lost to Aldo before in 2013. If McGregor wins, though, there’s the very real possibility that Aldo would get an immediate rematch because of his long tenure with the title.
At that point, Edgar would have a decision to make. He seems to already know what he would do — fight again before the title shot.
“I’m not waiting, but anything can happen,” Edgar told Heidi Androl on the post-fight show. “We’ll see. Maybe McGregor will win and I’ll just have to fight him right away. Who knows? Let’s just hope whoever wins, I fight him next.”
Edgar (19-4-1) has an indisputable résumé. He’s a former lightweight champion and has now won four straight after beating Faber. In November, the New Jersey native dismantled fellow top contender Cub Swanson, finishing him with a neck crank submission at 4:56 of the fifth round. That was the latest stoppage in UFC history until Demetrious Johnson beat him by three seconds at UFC 186 last month with an armbar of Kyoji Horiguchi.
Edgar, 33, has only three losses since 2008 and all have come in title fights — against Aldo and Benson Henderson twice.
The future UFC Hall of Famer was hoping for a finish against his fellow longtime great. It just never came.
“I went out there and really wanted to make a statement,” Edgar said immediately afterward. “I won five to nothing, but Urijah is tough as hell, man. He was the guy that I looked up to when I first got in. He was the guy everyone wanted to be. It was an honor to fight him. He’s a legend of our sport. Us light weight guys really owe it to this guy.”