After Frankie Edgar defeated Gray Maynard at UFC 136 on Saturday night, Dana White referred to him as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
There is no doubt that Edgar’s performance against Maynard was amazing. Coming back from the brink the way he did showed incredible heart.
In addition to that, Edgar displayed great head movement, awesome striking and knockout power! But does that make him the greatest lightweight ever?
Not yet.
Don’t get me wrong, Edgar is a great fighter, but when we take a look at his career victories there aren’t as many wins over top-tier talent.
Edgar is absolutely on his way to becoming one of the greatest lightweights of all time, he just isn’t there yet.
The first time Edgar defeated B.J. Penn, no one could believe it. Then the two fought again and Edgar took a decisive decision victory away with him. Those two fights took up a considerable amount of Edgar’s time as the lightweight champ.
Then Edgar cam up against Maynard, the only man to have defeated him. The fight ended in a draw, and an immediate rematch was scheduled.
It’s no fault of Edgar, but he’s only defended his belt against two men. Granted he’s defended it four times, but one of them ended in a draw.
Within the next few years Edgar will further cement his status as not only the greatest lightweight ever, but one of the greatest fighters to have ever competed. But crowning him the greatest lightweight ever directly after his performance at UFC 136 is a bit premature.
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