Frankie Edgar: Ranking the Toughest Fighters from New Jersey

Frankie Edgar is a very tough guy. He has produced amazing moments that are epic sport classics. The inept UFC commentator, Mike Goldberg, often claims that Edgar is the toughest fighter to ever come from the Garden State.
This is more t…

Frankie Edgar is a very tough guy. He has produced amazing moments that are epic sport classics. The inept UFC commentator, Mike Goldberg, often claims that Edgar is the toughest fighter to ever come from the Garden State.

This is more than hyperbolic as he has really only displayed his mettle thrice. Edgar showed indomitable grit in the Edgar-Henderson bout, in Edgar-Maynard 2 and Edgar-Maynard 3. While his performances truly were legendary in these three instances, there are others who have distinguished themselves over a longer time period.

As a general rule, I disregard anything Mike Goldberg says. Naturally, he is wrong and seeing where he was wrong is intriguing. Which New Jersey fighters truly deserve that title of the “toughest” fighter to ever come from New Jersey?

Here is a suggested list of five tougher fighters submitted for your consideration. Or does “The Answer” deserve to be on the list? Please inform me where improvements can be made and add your insights.

 

 

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Georges St-Pierre and the Top Babyfaces in the UFC

In the world of MMA, trash talking often equates to big dollar signs. Every fighter has a responsibility to sell their fight to fans and media alike which often turns into a smear campaign against their opponent.However, the men on this list won’t be m…

In the world of MMA, trash talking often equates to big dollar signs. Every fighter has a responsibility to sell their fight to fans and media alike which often turns into a smear campaign against their opponent.

However, the men on this list won’t be making headlines by putting down their opponents any time soon. They seem to be incorruptible as they travel the straight and narrow path.

Some have exciting fight styles, a personable smile, and some just seem to go out of their way for their fans. But all have become the MMA version of a babyface; the ultimate good guy that every fan should cheer for.

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Could Frankie Edgar Be Jose Aldo’s Mystery Opponent for UFC 147?


(Don’t worry, Frankie, there will be plenty more where that came from.) 

We know, we know, Frankie Edgar has already convinced Dana White to give him his rematch with newly crowned champ Ben Henderson sometime this summer, but hear us out. DW stated at the Silva/Sonnen II press conference earlier today that the UFC was looking for a way to move UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo from his bout against a to-be-determined opponent at UFC 149 to UFC 147. Combine that notion with the fact that White has long been rallying for Edgar to drop to 145 for an immediate title shot, and things start to get interesting, Potato Nation. Very interesting.

Take this tidbit from Edgar’s interview with MMAFighting, for instance, in which he says that the drop to 145 is “inevitable”, especially if Aldo’s name comes up:

We’ll see what the future holds, but I think it’s inevitable that I’ll eventually get down there. I just don’t know when. I’m all about fighting big fights, and fighting the best guys, and Jose Aldo’s one of them. We’ll see where it’s at, whether it’s at 145 or 155.

Considering that Edgar has never even shown a slight interest in dropping to 145, that’s all the confirmation we’re going to need. Start making your picks, ’cause this shit is going down.

More from the interview awaits you after the jump. 


(Don’t worry, Frankie, there will be plenty more where that came from.) 

We know, we know, Frankie Edgar has already convinced Dana White to give him his rematch with newly crowned champ Ben Henderson sometime this summer, but hear us out. DW stated at the Silva/Sonnen II press conference earlier today that the UFC was looking for a way to move UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo from his bout against a to-be-determined opponent at UFC 149 to UFC 147. Combine that notion with the fact that White has long been rallying for Edgar to drop to 145 for an immediate title shot, and things start to get interesting, Potato Nation. Very interesting.

Take this tidbit from Edgar’s interview with MMAFighting, for instance, in which he says that the drop to 145 is “inevitable”, especially if Aldo’s name comes up:

We’ll see what the future holds, but I think it’s inevitable that I’ll eventually get down there. I just don’t know when. I’m all about fighting big fights, and fighting the best guys, and Jose Aldo’s one of them. We’ll see where it’s at, whether it’s at 145 or 155.

Considering that Edgar has never even shown a slight interest in dropping to 145, that’s all the confirmation we’re going to need. Start making your picks, ’cause this shit is going down.

But lo and behold, Edgar is still holding strong to his claims that a rematch Henderson will happen in the near future, stating “I was set on getting this belt back. We don’t know what the future holds, but I didn’t want to go down on those terms.” A clever ruse to make DW’s announcement seem all the more surprising? We think so. Don’t be fooled by the red herrings, Dana White is going to make Edgar an offer he can’t refuse, and Edgar is eventually going to cave beneath the almighty power of The Baldfather’s fist. We all have.

Let’s face it; the time for Edgar to make his move is now. We can debate all day about how close his fight with Henderson was and how one loss doesn’t mean he should drop a weight class and blah blah blah, but there’s no doubt that the majority of us would rather see him fight Aldo then rematch Henderson. Yes, their fight at UFC 144 was pretty awesome, but Edgar took a beating, like he has in nearly all of his fights at lightweight. For his safety alone, Edgar shouldn’t be fighting guys that outweigh him by 20 pounds come fight night just to prove a point. If “The Answer” wants his UFC career to last for as long as possible, he should start cutting to 145 and taking on guys his own size. Edgar knows it, and he told MMAFighting that so does Dana White:

[Dana] stressed that he thinks for the longevity of my career, 145 would be better. I told him I could see what points he was talking about, but right now I wanted the rematch, so he granted it.

Now there you go again with the rematch nonsense, Frankie. Look, we understand that you want your rematch, and rightfully so, but just think of what happens if your were to lose this one again. The drop to 145 would be next, now not by choice, but out of a need to save your career. And although this has worked out great for guys like Brian Stann and Tim Boetsch, it could be disastrous for you. Look at it this way; if you were to accept the Aldo fight now and lose, then the 155 pound division would still welcome you back. Write it off as a failed experiment ala Joe Warren and say that you felt weak or slow at featherweight. We’d eat it up like a crayfish dinner and still clamor that you deserve your rematch with Henderson. Despite DW’s insistence, you could call lightweight home for the time being.

Now let’s look at the other side of the coin. Say you lose to Henderson twice and then Aldo (granted you made it to a title shot unscathed), where do you go from there? Before you can even leave the arena, you’re written off as the Jon Fitch of not one, but two weight classes. You try to drop to 135 shortly thereafter, but show up over 20 pounds heavy for your debut and are subsequently released by the UFC. You take a couple fights under local promotions to get back into the big show, but unfortunately run into the next lightweight prodigy, who promptly beats your name out of existence. Desperate for the cash to support your now bloated lifestyle, you begin to pedal drugs on the street, until the day arrives that you get caught selling crack to an undercover police officer.

And when you find yourself cuffed in the backseat of the squad car next to a 350 lb man with not one, but two wallet chains and a tattoo of his mother with her eyes scratched out, you will know that you have truly hit rock bottom. All as a result of your stubbornness and pride. Take the fight with Aldo, Frankie. Take it for your own good.

So I ask unto you, Potato Nation, how do you think Edgar would fare against Aldo? And on the outside chance that Edgar won’t be the man to face Aldo at UFC 147, who would you like to pair him against for his featherweight debut? Granted, this is all dependent on whether or not Frankie is able to best Bendo in their rematch, but speculation is what we thrive in here at CP, so let’s strike while the iron’s hot. Or at least lukewarm.

-J. Jones

Jon Jones: 5 MMA Fighters Who Have the Potential to Be the Next Floyd Mayweather

The world of MMA is fast becoming the equivalent of what boxing used to be and to some degree still is—one of the meccas of sporting entertainment. In the pantheon of the sweet science, there are stars, and then there are superstars, and the same…

The world of MMA is fast becoming the equivalent of what boxing used to be and to some degree still is—one of the meccas of sporting entertainment.

In the pantheon of the sweet science, there are stars, and then there are superstars, and the same now applies to professional mixed martial arts.

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones’ rise to superstar status has been nothing short of meteoric, and as things stand, he has the potential to mirror some of the achievements of boxing’s own pound-for-pound great Floyd “Money” Mayweather.

Mayweather has several attributes that sets him apart from his peers—skill set, championship pedigree and promotional savvy. That and the fact he’s undefeated in 42 outings in a career spanning almost 16 years.

Apropos MMA, fighters are lucky if they can acquire just two of the aforementioned qualities.

NB Mayweather’s PPV pulling power not included.

With that said, here’s a look at some fighters with the potential to be the next Money May.

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Benson Henderson Says His Job is To Beat People Up, Not to Call Them Out

Benson Henderson isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. In fact, he welcomes it.The 155-pound champion has had a proverbial target on his back since relinquishing the title from Frankie Edgar at UFC 144.Seemingly unfazed by the amount competition, Hen…

Benson Henderson isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. In fact, he welcomes it.

The 155-pound champion has had a proverbial target on his back since relinquishing the title from Frankie Edgar at UFC 144.

Seemingly unfazed by the amount competition, Henderson is content on facing the best fighters possible, while hopeful to remain the divisional champion for the foreseeable future.

And he doesn’t need to look far for motivation.

“In my eyes, I don’t really see myself as one of those prima donna wide receivers: ‘I want this, and this has gotta happen.’ I represent the UFC,” Henderson told UFC.com.

“My job is not to match myself up and call this guy or that guy out. I’m not gonna go on Twitter and make my own match. Some guys are into that and that’s the way they want to pursue their career, and they can go right ahead. My job is to beat people up.”

Henderson’s humble attitude towards the sport is an essential part of what has kept him grounded as a person. Sporting a 16-2 professional record and a lightweight title, gives Henderson the recognition as one of the premier athletes in the UFC today. 

While some might confuse his demeanor for arrogance at times, Henderson assures he is only confident in his abilities, striving to prove his worth in the talented lightweight division. And he said it’s a characteristic every fighter should have, or at least try to employ.

“It’s not me looking ahead and being cocky all of a sudden like, oh, I beat Frankie Edgar and now all of a sudden I’m gonna smash everybody. I was saying this from the beginning,” he said. “I’m a very confident fighter and all fighters are, or they should be. I want to fight everybody on the roster at 155, I want to beat ‘em all, and I want to have a nice long reign at 155.”

“I want to make 155 my weight class and I want my name to be synonymous with it,” he concluded.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Benson Henderson Reveals His Signature Moves on ‘UFC Ultimate Insider’

Newly-crowned UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson was recently featured in an exclusive segment on UFC Ultimate Insider demonstrating some of his signature moves.The 28-year-old has an extensive background in taekwondo—also a brown belt in …

Newly-crowned UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson was recently featured in an exclusive segment on UFC Ultimate Insider demonstrating some of his signature moves.

The 28-year-old has an extensive background in taekwondo—also a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a two-time NAIA All-Amercian wrestler—and is regarded as one of the most well-rounded fighters in the sport.

Henderson performs a variety of moves and strikes that he is renowned for, including an axe kick and a double-leg takedown.

The champion demonstrates each move using his technique and athletic ability while also providing some commentary and insight on the move.

The segment is a great opportunity for fans to become more educated on the sport and see their favorite fighters in a more interactive environment.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com