UFC welterweight contender Matt Brown isn’t boarding the Conor McGregor hype train any time soon, saying it is clear as day Frankie Edgar should get the next title shot at 145 pounds.
Of course, “The Immortal” used a little more colorful language when expressing his opinion on The Great MMA Debate podcast Tuesday (transcription per Bloody Elbow).
I can’t even believe this is an argument. What the f–k has Conor done compared to what Frankie’s done? Frankie deserves it. Period…I don’t hate that (he made himself famous). More props to him. But when you are talking about title shots—the opportunity of a man’s life—you gotta base it on realistic stats and facts. You can’t base it on this motherf—-r is gonna talk and sell some tickets.
Edgar, a former UFC lightweight champion, is coming off a stellar performance against fellow 145-pound contender Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57 on Saturday—tapping him with a neck crank with just four seconds left for the latest submission in company history.
Although “The Answer” dropped a decision to featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 156 in February 2013, he has bounced back with definitive victories over Charles Oliveira, B.J. Penn and Swanson.
Following the mauling of Swanson, Edgar sits at No. 2 in the UFC’s official featherweight rankings.
Meanwhile, overnight sensation McGregor has won 12 fights in a row (11 knockouts), including four straight inside the Octagon.
McGregor was able to silence some critics by knocking out perennial contender Dustin Poirier less than two minutes at UFC 178 in September.
Still, many pundits are still skeptical of the Irish sensation’s ability to survive on the mat with a gritty grappler like Ricardo Lamas, Chad Mendes or Edgar.
McGregor is currently booked to fight Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night 59 in January and many fans and analysts alike believe a clear-cut victory there would punch his ticket for the next crack at Aldo.
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