It’s been one of the most discussed topics in MMA. Even after defeating B.J. Penn and defending the UFC lightweight belt against Gray Maynard, fans and media continued to push for Frankie Edgar to cut weight and drop to featherweight. The talks subsided for a bit after the UFC 136 TKO victory over the aforementioned Maynard, but like many things in MMA, they didn’t completely go away.
Following his UFC 144 loss at the hands of Benson Henderson, Edgar’s size would again be the topic of conversation with discussions about a potential fight between the New Jersey native and UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
Those talks were short lived, as Edgar was awarded a rematch with Henderson at UFC 150 earlier this month. Unfortunately for Edgar, he again came up short, and the pressure began to build for him to finally make the decision to drop to featherweight.
Well, it looks like he’s finally going to be known as UFC featherweight Frankie Edgar.
On tonight’s episode of UFC Tonight, Ariel Helwani confirmed that Edgar will cut the additional 10 pounds and fight in the UFC’s featherweight division. He hopes to make his debut in the weight class later this year. No opponent has been named yet.
As a fan of Frankie Edgar, I can’t be more ecstatic about the decision. While he’s always had a speed advantage at lightweight, he always lacked a definitive advantage in punching power. He’d literally have to take one heavy punch to give three, and that kind of damage adds up.
This also opens up the featherweight division even more, as there is a new challenger for the title. The division has been a little stagnant with Aldo absolutely crushing everyone that the UFC puts in his way. Edgar versus Aldo is a dream fight, and one that will surely test the skill set and heart of both fighters.
He’ll just have to wait a little bit, as Aldo faces Erik Koch at UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro on October 13.
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