Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar proved he’s still a force to be reckoned with at 145 pounds with his thrashing of BJ Penn at The Ultimate Fighter Season 19 Finale last week, but are there any matchups that would convince him to shed a couple of extra pounds?
According to an interview with Bloody Elbow, The Answer would consider a catchweight bout with ex-WEC featherweight titleholder Urijah Faber, who now competes at bantamweight, if the stars aligned.
Edgar said, “135 might be a stretch, but I think I could do 140. I probably could make 135, but I don’t know how well I would perform or how my body would feel. 140 is much more ideal for me, and if the right situation arises, I could see that fight (with Faber) happening.”
The Toms River, New Jersey, native was recently named as a possible competitor to vie for an interim featherweight title in the event that current champ Jose Aldo, to whom he lost via decision at UFC 157, is unable to go by October, per MMA Fighting.
Interestingly, Edgar also told Steph Daniels he would only compete in an interim title bout if it would give him a shot at the “real title.”
“To be honest, the interim title is nothing to me. I want a real title, but if it does take fighting for an interim belt, I’m all in,” he said.
Edgar, the No. 2 featherweight in the world, according to the UFC’s official rankings, would fight Chad Mendes in an interim title scenario, though Cub Swanson is in the mix to square off with Mendes as well.
When the coaches of TUF 19 were announced in September, UFC President Dana White indicated that he wanted Edgar and Faber to coach the season, as opposed to Edgar and Penn, but noted that he isn’t a fan of catchweight fights, per MMA Weekly.
While Edgar is just 3-3-1 in his past seven fights, he boasts a 17-4-1 record overall, and his recent losses came in championship matchups against Aldo and Benson Henderson (twice).
In the event that Aldo vs. Mendes II does take place in October, would a catchweight fight against Faber at 140 pounds be the next bout to make for Edgar?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com