Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC president Dana White doesn’t think it would make much sense for Frankie Edgar to take a fight with Conor McGregor.
Don’t get your hopes up if you want to see Conor McGregor take on Frankie Edgar.
UFC president Dana White told the Boston Herald earlier this week that the talked-about fight between the two former lightweight champions won’t be happening.
“Conor loves to fight and wants to fight again,” White said, “but the Frankie Edgar fight isn’t going to happen.”
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported in August that McGregor, who hasn’t competed since October 2018, was interested in a fight with Edgar as his return bout. Edgar, a top featherweight contender, multiple times said he was willing to forego a planned move down to bantamweight to instead meet the Irishman, most likely at 155 pounds.
In a recent tweet, McGregor hinted that a fight with Edgar could take place in December. “The Answer” clarified that he had already agreed to the matchup, and that it was on McGregor and White to make it happen.
But White isn’t a fan of the pairing, largely due to the size difference between the two athletes.
“Edgar is two weight classes below him,” White said. “(Edgar) was supposed to fight Aljamain Sterling. Aljamain fell out and got hurt. Frankie is coming to the end of his career, and he could end up getting himself into a title position again. To take the Conor fight makes no sense.”
McGregor and Edgar were in position to face each other back in 2015 when McGregor won the featherweight title with a knockout of Jose Aldo at UFC 194. A day before that event, Edgar finished Chad Mendes to solidify himself as the No. 1 contender in the division.
But a McGregor 145-pound title defense never materialized and McGregor left the weight class. Edgar has continued to compete in the featherweight division. As a result, he and McGregor haven’t been in the same conversation for several years — until two months ago.