Frankie Edgar‘s Cinderella Man storyline was one of the most interesting parts of the UFC 218 card. Unfortunately, the event will have to plug on without him with the news that Edgar has withdrawn from his featherweight title bout with Max Holloway due to an injury suffered while training.
The news was first reported by Combate (per MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani), which was then confirmed by Edgar himself on social media:
It’s tough news for Edgar. Despite standing as one of the most enduring names in the featherweight division, The Answer is 36 years old at this point and holds the record for most time logged in the Octagon.
While he may remain an elite talent he only has so many minutes left in his career, and with so many up-and-coming featherweights set to throw down over the coming weeks, there is no guarantee he will remain the top contender in six weeks’ time.
This is also a drag for Holloway, who has defeated every top 145-pound fighter except Edgar, but it isn’t a huge blow for him as he will still remain atop the UFC 219 card. There are a handful of interesting potential replacements in former rivals Jose Aldo and Cub Swanson, and the contest loses little box office appeal with either of them challenging for the title instead of Edgar.
Regardless of the main event, UFC 218 is set to go down on December 2 in Detroit, Michigan. Expect the new challenger to be officially announced in the coming days.
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