Frankie Edgar has finally wrapped up his exciting rivalry with Gray Maynard.
He stood up to “The Bully” on Saturday night at UFC 136 in stunning fashion, picking up the fourth round TKO stoppage over his longtime rival.
With the Edgar and Maynard trilogy in the books, there is one question on the mind of fans and every UFC lightweight.
What’s next?
UFC President Dana White has listed Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez as a potential contender for the UFC title.
In a post-fight interview at UFC on Versus 6, White stated that the UFC is looking to bring Melendez over “ASAP.” Could a champion versus champion bout be on tap in the lightweight division?
“I’m down with anything man, I’ll fight anybody. I think [a bout with Gilbert] definitely makes a lot of sense. Ben [Henderson] and Clay [Guida] make a lot of sense too. I’ll fight whoever they want me to,” Maynard said at the post-fight press conference for UFC 136.
Melendez is slated to defend his title against Jorge Masvidal on Strikeforce’s December 17 card, but there is always a possibility he signs with the UFC and vacates his belt.
While Melendez should be at the top of the list for a shot, top lightweight contenders Henderson and Guida are also in line. The two are scheduled to do battle on the UFC’s first show on Fox, which is set to go down on November 12.
White has yet to commit to any particular contender as the surefire No. 1 contender to Edgar’s UFC title.