On Saturday night, Frankie Edgar made the second successful defense of his lightweight title when he defeated Gray Maynard via fourth round TKO.
Maynard has now beaten two of the lightweight division’s best, in Penn and Edgar, but will he still be champion over a year from now?
He has a long line of contenders who want a shot at his title, including Gilbert Melendez, Ben Henderson, Clay Guida, Joe Lauzon, Dennis Siver and Donald Cerrone.
If he is still champion in 2013, it will be safe to assume he has beaten two or three of the guys on that list.
Whether or not he can beat two or three of those guys is a different story entirely.
The lightweight division is arguably the most stacked division in the UFC, and it has taken a major hit for contenders as of late, which really says something.
With the heart that Edgar showed last night, he has all the potential in the world to still be the champion in 2013.
Many are saying that Edgar may already be the greatest lightweight champion in MMA history. If he is still the champ in 2013, then there will be no doubt that he is the greatest lightweight champion ever.
Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @tmt2393.
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